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Updated: May 7, 2026
Tracking the Mammary Architectural Features and Detecting Breast Cancer with Magnetic Resonance Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Published on: December 15, 2014
Diffusion-weighted imaging of the high-risk breast: Apparent diffusion coefficient values and their relationship to
Elizabeth A M O'Flynn1, Robin M Wilson, Steven D Allen
1Clinical Magnetic Resonance Group, Cancer Research UK and EPSRC Cancer Imaging Centre, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom.
Purpose:
To document the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of fibroglandular breast tissue in women at high-risk of developing breast cancer and investigate the relationship between ADC and breast density.
Materials And Methods:
Local research ethics approval was obtained. A total of 33 high-risk women including 17 BRCA1/2 mutation carriers (mean age, 43 years) and 16 women postmantle irradiation (mean age 40 years) underwent diffusion-weighted MRI between days 6 and 16 of their menstrual cycle. ADC histograms from a region of interest in fibroglandular tissue and mammographic breast density measurements were obtained. Mean, percentile ADC values (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th) and skew were compared for the two groups; ADC and mammographic breast density were correlated.
Results:
Mean ADC values (×10(-6) mm(2) /s) were 2017 ± 197 in postmantle irradiated women and 1827 ± 289 in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers (P = 0.035) with significant differences at all percentiles (P < 0.0001) but not skew (P = 0.44). ADC values showed weak positive correlation with mammographic breast density in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers (r = 0.51, P = 0.043) but not in postmantle radiotherapy patients (r = 0.49, P = 0.13).
Conclusion:
Higher ADC values seen in fibroglandular tissue postmantle irradiation compared with BRCA1/2 mutation carriers has potential to improve tumor detection in these patients. Lack of correlation between ADC and breast density postmantle irradiation may be a result of microstructural changes.
