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Updated: Jul 19, 2026
Tracking the Mammary Architectural Features and Detecting Breast Cancer with Magnetic Resonance Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Published on: December 15, 2014
Scintimammographic detection of usual ductal breast hyperplasia with increased proliferation rate at risk for
Vassilios Papantoniou1, Spyridon Tsiouris, John Koutsikos
1Department of Nuclear Medicine, "Alexandra" University Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Objectives:
To estimate whether breast uptake of (99m)Tc-(V)DMSA and (99m)Tc-sestamibi in usual ductal epithelial breast hyperplasia (UDH) and apocrine metaplasia is related to cell proliferation rate (Ki-67) and oestrogen receptor (ER) expression, both of which are associated with the potential risk of evolving to malignancy.
Methods:
Among patients referred for suspicious breast findings on palpation and/or mammography and evaluated preoperatively with both radiopharmaceuticals, we retrospectively studied 17 (10 with UDH: group I; and seven with apocrine metaplasia: group II). Lesion-to-background (L/B) ratios in early and late acquisitions were calculated for both radiotracers in both groups, as well as their retention ratios. Ki-67 and oestrogen receptor expression were determined immunohistochemically. The late L/B ratios between the two tracers were compared, as were the late ratios for each tracer between Ki-67 < or = 3% and > 3%, and between ER < or = 15% and > 15%. Linear regression analysis was also performed between L/B and retention ratios and Ki-67 expression.
Results:
There was a significant increase of the (99m)Tc-(V)DMSA L/B ratio in late images as compared to the early images in group I (P<0.05), while in group II it was not significantly increased (P=0.084). (99m)Tc-sestamibi ratios did not demonstrate variability over time in either group (P=0.156 and 0.274, respectively). Significant coefficient correlation was found between the (99m)Tc-(V)DMSA L/B(late) ratios and retention ratios and Ki-67 levels only for group I (r=0.889, P<0.001 and r=0.802, P<0.01, respectively). The (99m)Tc-(V)DMSA L/B(late) ratios in group I were significantly higher when Ki-67 > 3% than when Ki-67 < or = 3% (P=0.016) but did not differ considerably between ER > 15% and < or = 15% (P=0.732).
Conclusion:
(99m)Tc-(V)DMSA uptake in UDH correlates with Ki-67 expression. This could prove useful in identifying women with benign but high-risk breast pathologies who might benefit from chemoprophylaxis.
