Recent research suggests that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may play a key role in breast cancer prognosis.
"Breast cancers are heterogeneous, and different subtypes of breast cancer will respond differently to therapy," said Sana Parsian, M.D., a research assistant in the department of radiology at the University of Washington in Seattle. "Every patient with breast cancer must undergo biopsy to be evaluated for the type of breast cancer they have. Based on that, adjuvant medical therapies are prescribed for them."
Parsian and her colleagues hypothesized that some quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures, such as diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE), would correlate with histopathological markers by enabling the researchers to measure the tumor''s cellularity and vascularity.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Encyclopedia section of medindia gives general info about Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Advertisement
In DWI, the diffusion of fluids along a field gradient reduces the MRI signal, so it can determine cellularity of the tumor by measuring the degree of water mobility. DCE enables viewers to see more information about tumor vascularity. A malignant cell group needs a blood supply to grow, and those vascular changes cause tumors to appear differently on DCE compared with normal tissue, Parsian said. The enhancement pattern seen on an MRI is called kinetics.
Researchers evaluated correlations between DWI and DCE kinetics and histopathologic markers of breast cancer determined from biopsy, such as estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor, HER2, p53 and the ki67 proliferation marker, in 41 invasive cancers among 36 patients. They found statistically significant correlations between MRI measures and all markers, except ER, which was only marginally associated with one of the DCE measures. Each of the DCE kinetics parameters significantly discriminated grade III tumors from grades I and II and luminal A from luminal B and basal-like intrinsic subtypes.
![Quiz on Breast Cancer]( "Quiz on Breast Cancer")
Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women. It is often said that a woman who breast-feeds is at a lower risk of developing cancer compared to another who does not .Are these mere old wives tales or is there some truth in it? This quiz on breast cancer has all the details.
"When we looked at these measures, we realized there was a correlation with biomarkers," Parsian said.
Although these are preliminary data, she hopes that someday MRI might provide valuable noninvasive information about tumor biology for selecting and guiding targeted therapies.
Parsian said larger prospective studies are needed to confirm these results and that MRI may complement biopsy to sample the whole tumor and reflect tumor heterogeneity.
"I think the final goal of radiology is to get more information while doing the least amount of intervention possible for the patient," she said. "It would be great if we could improve our understanding of breast cancer biology and predict response to different therapies with imaging. Our study suggests MRI may play a valuable role in this process."
Source: Newswise
Quiz on Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women. It is often said that a woman who breast-feeds is at a lower risk of developing cancer compared to another who does not .Are these mere old wives tales or is there some truth in it? This quiz on breast cancer has all the details.
Advertisement
"When we looked at these measures, we realized there was a correlation with biomarkers," Parsian said.
Although these are preliminary data, she hopes that someday MRI might provide valuable noninvasive information about tumor biology for selecting and guiding targeted therapies.
Parsian said larger prospective studies are needed to confirm these results and that MRI may complement biopsy to sample the whole tumor and reflect tumor heterogeneity.
"I think the final goal of radiology is to get more information while doing the least amount of intervention possible for the patient," she said. "It would be great if we could improve our understanding of breast cancer biology and predict response to different therapies with imaging. Our study suggests MRI may play a valuable role in this process."
Source: Newswise
Breast Self Examination - Animation
Slides and animation of Breast Self Examination for early detection of breast cancer lumps in women
Advertisement
 MRI Scan can Find Out If Someone is a PsychopathThere are broken links in the areas of the brain responsible for emotions such as empathy and guilt which is why psychopaths behave the way they do, researchers discovered. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest Cancer News
Engaging in regular exercise could significantly enhance the quality of life for individuals facing metastatic breast cancer.
Drugs known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, prescribed for type 2 diabetes, could lower the likelihood of developing colorectal cancer.
Researchers found a pathway linked to allergies that, when blocked, triggers antitumor immunity in lung cancer mouse models.
The occurrence of epimutations early in pregnancy challenges traditional theories related to carcinogenesis and the risk of developing breast cancer.
More affected relatives, higher lung cancer risk; participants with affected mothers or siblings faced increased risk.