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Towards defining morphologic parameters of normal parous and nulliparous breast tissues by artificial intelligence
Joshua Ogony1, Thomas de Bel2,3, Derek C Radisky4
1Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester and Jacksonville, MN and FL, USA.
Breast Cancer Research : BCR
|July 12, 2022
Summary
Postpartum changes in breast tissue, including more terminal duct lobular units (TDLUs) and increased immune cells, may help estimate breast cancer (BC) risk. These TDLU characteristics vary with demographic and reproductive factors.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology
- Breast pathology
- Cancer risk assessment
Background:
- Breast terminal duct lobular units (TDLUs) are the origin of most breast cancer precursors.
- Postpartum involution (PPI) is a critical process for restoring breast microanatomy.
- Dysregulated PPI is linked to postpartum breast cancer (BC) pathogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess TDLU characteristics in the postpartum period for potential BC risk estimation.
- To describe TDLU characteristics in relation to epidemiological factors.
- To investigate quantitative histological features of normal breast tissue in parous versus nulliparous women.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Artificial Intelligence (AI) and morphometric analysis on digitized normal breast tissue images.
- Analyzed TDLUs, adipose tissue, acini counts, dilated acini, epithelial area, and immune cell counts.
- Compared histological features between parous and nulliparous women using multivariable regression, considering time since last birth.
Main Results:
- Parous women showed significantly higher TDLU counts, more dilated acini, higher immune cell counts, and smaller acini area per TDLU compared to nulliparous women.
- TDLU count and acini size differences persisted beyond 5 years postpartum.
- Immune cell increases were most prominent within 5 years after childbirth.
Conclusions:
- Sustained expansion of TDLU numbers and reduced acini area were observed in parous women.
- Significant increases in immune responses were noted within five years postpartum.
- Quantitative characteristics of normal breast tissue vary with demographic features and BC risk factors, suggesting potential for risk stratification.
