Prospective study on the role of MRI and B ultrasonography in evaluating the tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer

Abstract

To evaluate the role of breast B ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging in assessing the tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer. Eighty-five patients with breast cancer diagnosed by core needle biopsy received neoadjuvant chemotherapy entered this prospective study. Breast B ultrasonography and dynamic enhanced MRI was performed before chemotherapy induction, after the second course and the fourth course of chemotherapy prior to the surgery. Clinical evaluation was made through the tumor reduction measured by B ultrasonography and MRI, based on the response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST). Measured by dynamic enhanced MRI, 56 patients got partial response (PR), 27 got stable disease (SD) and 2 got progressive disease (PD), none complete response (CR). Measured by B ultrasonography, 52 patients got PR, 31 got SD, 2 got PD, no CR. Residual tumor size after chemotherapy on MRI correlated well with post-operative pathologic findings (r = 0.783, P < 0.05), and B ultrasonography correlated moderately with microscopic findings (r = 0.576, P < 0.001). Dynamic enhanced MRI is a reliable method to evaluate tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer.