Related Experiment Video For breast cancer
Updated: Oct 11, 2025
Optimization of a Multiplex RNA-based Expression Assay Using Breast Cancer Archival Material
Published on: August 1, 2018
Association Between Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Characteristics and Molecular Subtypes of Breast Cancer
Baojie Wen1,2, Wentao Kong1, Yidan Zhang1
1Department of Ultrasound, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Objective:
This study aimed to investigate the correlation between contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) features and molecular subtypes of breast cancer (BC).
Methods:
A total of 116 patients (116 lesions) with pathologically diagnosed BC who received conventional ultrasound and CEUS before surgery were enrolled in this study. BC molecular subtypes were identified by postoperative pathological and immunohistochemical analysis as Luminal A (LA), Luminal B (LB), HER2 (H2) over-expression, and triple-negative (TN). Qualitative and quantitative CEUS characteristics were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (continuous variables) or Pearson's χ2 test or Fisher's exact probability method (categorical variables).
Results:
There were significant differences in enhancement speed and enhancement degree among the four subtypes (P < .05). The area under the curve (AUC), time to peak (TTP), and peak intensity (PI) differed among the four subtypes (P < .05). The AUC of the LA subtype (305.1 ± 188.4) was significantly smaller compared with the H2 (535.7 ± 222.0, P = .007) and TN subtypes (496.6 ± 254.7, P = .019). In addition, TTP was shorter in the H2 subtype (19.8 ± 4.9) compared with the other subtypes, and was significantly shorter than in the LA subtype (26.3 ± 7.2, P = .008) and LB subtype (23.1 ± 6.7, P = .036). The PI of the LA subtype (4.7 ± 2.3) was significantly lower than that of the LB (6.6 ± 2.3, P = .027), H2 (7.4 ± 2.2, P = .005), and TN subtypes (6.9 ± 2.6, P = .014).
Conclusions:
CEUS features differed significantly among different molecular subtypes of BC. The enhancement patterns and parameters may be important predictive features of different subtypes of BC.
