Quantitative vs Qualitative analysis of breast lesions on dynamic contrast-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Dynamic contrast enhancement-magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) is becoming increasingly significant for identifying and characterizing breast lesions. It can also provide insight into functional parameters, such as enhancement kinetics and tissue perfusion parameters, including Ktrans, Ve, and Kep.

This study explores the role of both qualitative and quantitative analyses of DCE-MRI in enhancing diagnostic accuracy for distin-guishing between benign and malignant breast lesions, contributing to more precise breast cancer diagnosis and management.

This single-center cross-sectional study was performed on 47 patients with breast lesions. MRI Breast was performed on a closed 3T MRI scanner equipped with a dedicated 18-channel breast coil. MRI study protocol included conventional Breast MRI and DCE sequences. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS statistics software package version 28.0.

A total of 47 patients, with an age range of 17 to 70 years old, were included in the study. The sensitivity of kinetic curve analysis was 94.74 %, specificity of 75%, positive predictive value of 72 %, and negative predictive value of 95.45 % to distinguish benign and mali-gnant breast lesions. The mean Ktrans value of benign breast lesions was 0.447+1.55/min and 0.496+1.08 / min (p-value <0.04) for malignant lesions. The mean Kep value of benign breast lesions was 2.984+8.27/ min, and for malignant lesions was 3.424+8.70/ min (p-value <0.008). The mean Ve value did not show a significant value in distinguishing benign and malignant breast lesions (p-value <0.386). Kep cut-off value at 0.279 and Ktrans cut-off value at 0.73 depicted the highest area under the curve (AUC).

Integrating qualitative and quantitative data provides a more comprehensive understanding of breast lesions, ultimately leading to more accurate diagnoses and tailored treatment strategies.