Relationship between degree of breast MRI background parenchymal enhancement and breast cancer subtype

To observe the distribution of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) breast parenchymal enhancement (BPE) among different breast cancer subtypes and to explore the relationship between the BPE and the breast cancer tumor type.

A total of 150 consecutive patients with breast cancer underwent breast dynamic enhanced scanning image. According to the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) and Ki-67, the molecular subtypes were classified into Luminal-A, Luminal-B, HER-2 over- expression, and triple-negative breast cancer. The BPE of the whole breast was evaluated and categorized as minimal, mild, moderate, or marked according to the breast imaging reporting and data system (BI-RADS). The relationship between the distribution of BPE and the breast cancer subtypes was analyzed.

In patients with mild BPE, the incidence of Luminal-B breast cancer was significantly increased, and there were statistical differences among the Luminal-B and the luminal-A, the HER-2 over-expressed type, and the triple-negative type (all P<0.01). In the marked BPE patients, the proportion of triple negative breast cancer was the highest, and there was statistical difference among the triple-negative type and the Luminal-A, the Luminal-B, and the HER-2 over-expression types (all P<0.05).

The BPE can be served as an additional risk stratification index in the targeted screening of breast cancer type, which can offer reference value in the clinical diagnose and individualized treatment.