Correlation study between apparent diffusion coefficients and the prognostic factors in breast cancer

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Oncology
• Biomarkers

Background:

• Multiparametric MRI, specifically apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC), is increasingly used in breast cancer (BC) assessment.
• Understanding the correlation between ADC values and prognostic factors is crucial for personalized treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the relationship between intratumoural and peritumoural ADC values and prognostic factors in BC.
• To investigate correlations with immune-inflammatory markers.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 89 invasive BC patients.
• Multiparametric MRI to derive various ADC parameters (ADC_tmin, ADC_tmax, ADC_tmean, ADC_heter, ADC_pmax, ADC_ratio).
• Linear regression to correlate ADC values with immune markers and prognostic factors (e.g., lymph node metastasis, receptor status).

Main Results:

• HER-2 positivity correlated with higher ADC_tmax, ADC_tmean, and ADC_pmax.
• Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) positively associated with ADC_pmax and ADC_ratio.
• ADC_pmax demonstrated significant predictive value for lymph node metastasis (AUC=0.751).

Conclusions:

• Peritumoural ADC (ADC_pmax) can aid in predicting prognostic factors in breast cancer.
• ADC values offer valuable insights into tumor biology and patient outcomes.