Association of T2-Weighted Imaging Features in Invasive Breast Cancer With Clinicopathologic Features and Neoadjuvant...

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Oncology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) is crucial for breast cancer assessment.
• Understanding T2WI features' association with clinicopathologic factors and treatment response is vital for personalized therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate associations between T2WI features and clinicopathologic characteristics in invasive breast cancer.
• To evaluate the relationship between T2WI features and treatment response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 179 invasive breast cancer patients undergoing 3T breast MRI.
• Grading of intratumoral T2 signal intensity (SI) and peritumoral edema on T2WI.
• Calculation and comparison of T2 relaxation times, with correlation to clinicopathologic factors and NAC outcomes.

Main Results:

• Higher intratumoral T2 SI and edema grades correlated with longer T2 relaxation times.
• T2 features associated with advanced clinical T category, lymph node metastasis, hormone receptor negativity, and triple-negative subtype.
• Longer T2 relaxation times and higher T2 SI grades predicted disease progression during NAC.

Conclusions:

• T2WI features are significant imaging biomarkers for invasive breast cancer.
• These features correlate with aggressive tumor biology and predict response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
• T2-weighted MRI offers valuable insights into tumor characteristics and treatment outcomes.