Breast MRI Research Articles

Role of Supplemental Breast MRI in Screening Women with Mammographically Dense Breasts: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

High mammographic density increases breast cancer risk and reduces mammographic sensitivity. We reviewed evidence on accuracy of supplemental MRI for women with dense breasts at average or increased risk. PubMed and Embase were searched 1995-2022. Articles were included if women received breast MRI following 2D or tomosynthesis mammography. Risk of bias was assessed using QUADAS-2. Analysis used independent studies from the articles. Fixed-effect meta-analytic summaries were estimated for predefined groups (PROSPERO: 230277). Eighteen primary research articles (24 studies) were identified in women aged 19-87 years. Breast density was heterogeneously or extremely dense (BI-RADS C/D) in 15/18 articles and extremely dense (BI-RADS D) in 3/18 articles. Twelve of 18 articles reported on increased-risk populations. Following 21 440 negative mammographic examinations, 288/320 cancers were detected by MRI. Substantial variation was observed between studies in MRI cancer detection rate, partly associated with prevalent vs incident MRI exams (prevalent: 16.6/1000 exams, 12 studies; incident: 6.8/1000 exams, 7 studies). MRI had high sensitivity for mammographically occult cancer (20 studies with at least 1-year follow-up). In 5/18 articles with sufficient data to estimate relative MRI detection rate, approximately 2 in 3 cancers were detected by MRI (66.3%, 95% CI, 56.3%-75.5%) but not mammography. Positive predictive value was higher for more recent studies. Risk of bias was low in most studies. Supplemental breast MRI following negative mammography in women with dense breasts has breast cancer detection rates of ~16.6/1000 at prevalent and ~6.8/1000 at incident MRI exams, considering both high and average risk settings.

Pilot Feasibility Study: 18 F-DPA-714 PET/CT Macrophage Imaging in Triple-Negative Breast Cancers (EITHICS).

Tumor-associated macrophages are targets of interest in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) is a sensitive marker for macrophages and holds potential relevance in TNBC stratification. This pilot prospective study (EITHICS, NCT04320030) aimed to assess the potential of TSPO PET/CT imaging using 18 F-DPA-714 in primary TNBC, compared with immunohistochemistry, autoradiography, and TSPO polymorphism. Thirteen TNBC patients were included. They underwent TSPO genotyping (HAB, MAB, LAB), 18 F-FDG PET/CT, and breast MRI. Semiquantitative PET parameters were computed. VOIs were defined on the tumor lesion, healthy breast tissue, and pectoral muscle to obtain SUV, tumor-to-background ratio (TBR), and time-activity curves (TACs). Additionally, immunohistochemistry, 3 H-DPA-714, and 3 H-PK-11195 autoradiography were conducted. The majority of TNBC tumors (11/13, 84%) had a preponderance of M2-polarized macrophages with a median proportion of 82% (range, 44%-94%). 18 F-DPA-714 PET/CT clearly identified TNBC tumors with an excellent TBR. Three distinct patterns of 18 F-DPA-714 TACs were identified, categorized as "above muscular," "equal to muscular," and "below muscular" with reference to the muscular background. For the "above muscular" group (2 HAB and 2 MAB), "equal muscular" group (3 HAB, 3 MAB, and 1 LAB), and "below muscular" group (1 LAB and 1 MAB), tumor TACs showed a 18 F-DPA-714 accumulation slope of 1.35, 0.62, and 0.22, respectively, and a median SUV mean of 4.02 (2.09-5.31), 1.66 (0.93-3.07), and 0.61 (0.43-1.02). This study successfully demonstrated TNBC tumor targeting by 18 F-DPA-714 with an excellent TBR, allowing to stratify 3 patterns of uptake potentially influenced by the TSPO polymorphism status. Further studies in larger populations should be performed to evaluate the prognostic value of this new biomarker.

Contrast-enhanced Mammography: An Emerging Modality in Breast Imaging

Contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) is emerging as a viable alternative to contrast-enhanced breast MRI, effectively reducing examination cost. Intravenous iodinated contrast material is used in CEM to enhance the visualization of tumor neovascularity. After injection, imaging is performed with dual-energy digital mammography, which helps provide a low-energy image and a recombined or iodine image that depict enhancing lesions in the breast. The utility of Contrast enhanced Mammography is under study and is substituting as Poor Man MRI, easier to interpret with wider accessibility available.

Silicone implant and fibrous capsule assessment based on water-fat-silicone chemical shift encoding-based species separation in breast MRI.

With rising breast augmentations worldwide, there is an increasing clinical need for an early and accurate detection of implant complications. To compare the quality of chemical shift encoding-based (CSE) water-fat-silicone separation compared to double inversion recovery (DIR) silicone-only imaging in breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This retrospective, single-center study included women with silicone implants subjected to 3-T MRI between January 2021 and March 2022. MRI included (i) two-dimensional silicone-only T2-weighted turbo spin echo DIR acquisition and (ii) three-dimensional CSE imaging based on multi-echo gradient-echo sequence enabling water-, fat-, and silicone-image separation. Images were evaluated and compared by three independent radiologists using a clinically established rating including differentiability of the silicone implant, visibility and contouring of the adjacent fibrous capsule, and accuracy of intralesional folds in a ranking of 1-5. The apparent contrast-to-noise (aCNR) was calculated. In 71 women, the average quality of water-fat-silicone images from CSE imaging was assessed as "good" (assessment 4 ± 0.9). In 68 (96%) patients, CSE imaging achieved a concise delineation of the silicone implant and precise visualization of the fibrous capsule that was not distinguishable in DIR imaging. Implant ruptures were more easily detected in CSE imaging. The aCNR was higher in CSE compared to DIR imaging (18.43 ± 9.8 vs. 14.73 ± 2.5; P = 0.002). Intrinsically co-registered water-fat-silicone-separated CSE-based images enable a reliable assessment of silicone implants. The simultaneously improved differentiability of the implant and fibrous capsule may provide clinicians with a valuable tool for an accurate evaluation of implant integrity and early detection of potential complications.

AMSLS: Adaptive multi-scale level set method based on local entropy for image segmentation

Intensity inhomogeneity often appears in medical images and causes great difficulties in image segmentation. Most active contour models perform poorly when applied to intensity inhomogeneous images because their energy functions use local intensity information in a fixed-size domain, causing the contour to evolve in the wrong direction. To overcome the difficulties caused by intensity inhomogeneity, we propose an adaptive multi-scale Gaussian kernel function based on image local entropy, which can determine the appropriate scale for each local region. Choosing the small scale and large scale for inhomogeneous and homogeneous areas respectively make the contour move toward the target boundary accurately. We also propose three adaptive multi-scale (AMS) models, AMS-region scalable fitting (AMS-RSF) model, AMS-local image fitting (AMS-LIF) model, AMS-local and global intensity fitting (AMS-LGIF) model, to segment medical images with intensity inhomogeneity and noise, including left atrial MR images and breast ultrasound images. The experimental results show that the adaptive multi-scale Gaussian kernel function enables the active contour model to effectively segment intensity inhomogeneous images and has a certain robustness to the initial contour and noise, which achieves good performance on MR left atrial images and ultrasound images of breast cancer. The AMS-LGIF model obtained the highest DICE coefficient of 0.9532, which was better than the 0.9429 obtained by the second-ranked LGIF model to segment left atrial MR images. For segmenting breast ultrasound images, the DICE coefficient is increased by 16% than that of the U-Net++ model.

Non-contrast-enhanced breast MRI for evaluation of tumor volume change after neoadjuvant chemotherapy

PurposeThree-dimensional contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (3D-Ce-MRI) is a most powerful tool for evaluation of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). However, the use of contrast agent is invasive, expensive, and time consuming, Thus, contrast agent-free imaging is preferable. We aimed to investigate the tumor volume change after NAC using maximum intensity projection diffusion-weighted image (MIP-DWI) and 3D-Ce-MRI. MethodWe finally enrolled 55 breast cancer patients who underwent NAC in 2018. All MRI analyses were performed using SYNAPSE VINCENT® medical imaging system (Fujifilm Medical, Tokyo, Japan). We evaluated the tumor volumes before, during, and after NAC. Tumor volume before NAC on 3D-Ce-MRI was termed Pre-CE and those during and after NAC were termed Post-CE. The observer raised the lower end of the window width until the tumor was clearly visible and then manually deleted the non-tumor tissues. A month thereafter, the same observer who was blinded to the 3D-Ce-MRI results randomly evaluated the tumor volumes (Pre-DWI and Post-DWI) using MIP-DWI with the same method. Tumor volume change between ΔCE (Pre-CE − Post-CE/Pre-CE) and ΔDWI (Pre-DWI − Post-DWI/Pre-DWI) and the processing time for both methods (Time-DWI and Time-CE) were compared. ResultsWe enrolled 55 patients. Spearman’s rho between ΔDWI and ΔCE for pure mass lesions, and non-mass enhancement (NME) was 0.89 (p < 0.01), 0.63(p < 0.01) respectively. Time-DWI was significantly shorter than Time-CE (41.3 ± 21.2 and 199.5 ± 98.3 respectively, p < 0.01). ConclusionsNon-contrast-enhanced Breast MRI enables appropriate and faster evaluation of tumor volume change after NAC than 3D-Ce-MRI especially for mass lesions.

Therapeutic impact of 18F-FDG PET/CT for initial staging in patients with clinical stage I and IIA, HER2-positive, or triple-negative breast cancer.

While 18F-FDG PET/CT (FDG-PET/CT) is consensual for clinical stage ≥ IIB breast cancers (BC), its benefit for stage I or IIA HER2+ or triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients lacks sufficient evidence. We reported a single-institution, retrospective study evaluating FDG-PET/CT impact on patient management and staging for stage I or IIA HER2+ or Triple-Negative BC. Patients who underwent FDG-PET/CT staging before any treatment between January 2015 and December 2020 at Oscar Lambret Center were included. patients with symptoms or conventional imaging suggestive of metastatic dissemination, or with prior malignancies. Initial stage was determined from mammography, breast ultrasound, breast MRI, and clinical examination. Staging and therapeutic impact based on FDG-PET/CT findings collected, including intra- (modification of dose/site/strategy in a type of management previously indicated) and inter-modality (modification of planned treatment strategy) changes. The cohort included 287 female patients with clinical stage I or IIA, HER2+ , or TNBC. Therapeutic impact observed for 18% of patients (n = 52), with 2% (n = 7) undergoing inter-modality change with omission of planned surgery. The impact on patient management was higher for stage IIA patients (20%, 47/237) than for stage I patients (10%, 5/50). Among stage IIA disease, changes in management were more important for T2N0 patients (22%, 44/205) than for T1N1 patients (9%, 3/32). While not statistically significant, trends suggest usefulness of FDG-PET/CT for T2N0 patients. Considering substantial therapeutic implications, our study suggests the usefulness of FDG-PET/CT for patients with stage IIA, HER2-positive, or Triple-Negative BC with tumor size > 2cm (T2N0).

A Transformative Approach for Breast Cancer Detection Using Physics-Informed Neural Network and Surface Temperature Data

Abstract Early detection is the most effective defense against breast cancer. Mammography is a well-established X-ray based technique that is used for annual or biennial screening of women above age of 40. Since the dense breast tissue sometimes obscures the cancer in an x-ray image, about 10% of screened women are recalled and undergo additional adjunctive modalities, such as ultrasound, digital breast tomosynthesis or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These modalities have drawbacks such as additional radiation dosage, overdiagnosis and high cost. A new concurrent multi-spectral imaging approach is recently presented to eliminate the high recall rates by utilizing the breast surface temperature data with an inverse physics-informed neural network algorithm. The multi-spectral imaging does not use any harmful radiations, such as x-rays, is contact-less and does not require breast compression. It has been validated in 23 patients and offers a cost-effective solution to provide improved detection capability of cancerous cells. It is estimated to reduce the recall rates significantly from the current 10%, with a corresponding reduction in the biopsies. This adjunctive approach builds on the strength of mammography and offers a safe adjunct by relying on the higher metabolic rates of cancer cells.

Comparing 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) and breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict pathological complete response (pCR) and 3-year invasive disease-free survival (3-y iDFS) in patients (pts) with HER2+ early breast cancer (EBC): An unplanned exploratory analysis of PHERGain trial.

586 Background: The PHERGain phase II trial (1) (NCT03161353) demonstrated the feasibility of chemotherapy (CT)-free treatment using a PET-based, pCR-adapted strategy in HER2+ EBC pts treated with dual HER2 blockade (trastuzumab pertuzumab; HP). Due to limited PET availability, breast MRI is warranted as an alternative tool for assessing early treatment response. Methods: Briefly, group B pts in PHERGain were initially treated with HP, and CT was subsequently introduced according to on-treatment PET results. Adjuvant therapy was determined based on prior neoadjuvant treatment (NAT) and pCR. All pts completed up to 18 HP cycles. PET and MRI were performed before randomization and after 2 treatment cycles, with an additional MRI performed before surgery. PET response was centrally assessed per EORTC criteria. Locally assessed MRI response was defined as a ≥30% decrease in the sum of diameters of the target lesions. MRI reduction was defined ad hoc as any shrinkage in the diameter of target lesions after 2 cycles without new lesions or progressive disease in non-target lesions. Results: After 2 HP cycles, 79.6% (227/285) of group B pts were PET responders, 47% (134/285) had an MRI response, and 82.5% (235/285) achieved an MRI reduction. A high association was observed between PET response and MRI reduction. Similar rates of pCR and 3-y iDFS were observed between pts with a PET response or an MRI reduction. PET-nonresponders without MRI reduction had the worst 3-y iDFS despite receiving standard NAT with CT and HP (Table). Conclusions: The complex design of this study does not allow a direct comparison between PET and MRI. Although PET is the recommended imaging technique for early treatment response, these data suggest that MRI-assessed tumor shrinkage could alternatively guide NAT after the first 2 HP cycles in HER2+ EBC pts following the PHERGain strategy when PET is not available. 1. Pérez-García JM, Lancet Oncol 2021. Clinical trial information: NCT03161353 . [Table: see text]

Awareness, Knowledge, and Current Practice of Breast Cancer Among Surgeons in Jordan.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent cancer in Jordan. De-escalation in treatment reflects a paradigm shift in BC treatment. More tailored strategies and the adoption of a multidisciplinary approach are essential to apply recent changes in management. In the era of breast surgery fellowship, adopting well-structured training is essential to apply recent therapeutic guidelines and meet patients' expectations. A cross-sectional study using a customized, self-reported questionnaire was used. Data collection occurred anonymously using a link via WhatsApp in the period between February 2023 and April 2023. A total of 89 surgeons were involved in this study, and only 14 (15.7%) completed a subspecialty in breast surgery. About 58.4% considered the age of 40 years as the starting point for screening, and 84.3% reported that mammogram screening is associated with improved BC survival. Only 10.1% and 28.1% acknowledged the applicability of both tomosynthesis and breast magnetic resonance imaging in screening, respectively. A significant difference in the mean knowledge score about BC is observed between general surgeon and those with subspecialty. Varying levels of awareness concerning different risk factors and their correlation with the likelihood of BC occurrence observed. Although 56.2% of participants could offer breast conserving surgery and consider it oncological safe, only 48.3% defined it correctly. Of the participants, 61.8% and 76.4% stated that sentinel lymph node biopsy can be safely applied in clinically negative or suspicious axillary nodes, respectively, with <50% of surgeon performing it in their practice. More efforts are required to enhance the knowledge and practice of surgeons in the field of breast surgery. Adopting national guidelines can facilitate the acceptance and improvement of current practices among surgeons in Jordan.

Patterns of cancer screening practice and mutational status of cancer-predisposing genes among individuals at high risk for cancer.

10557 Background: Research on cancer screening practice and prevention strategies among individuals at high risk for cancer is limited. We explored the patterns of screening practice of seven cancer types in high-risk patients (pts) at a single institution. Methods: Between June-September 2023, we conducted a follow-up survey on pts enrolled in the University of Chicago Cancer Prone Study, a longitudinal cohort of high-risk families initiated in 1992. We assessed breast, cervical, colorectal, prostate (PSA), ovarian, skin (full-body skin exam [FBSE]), and lung cancer screening by mutational status. Results: Of 912 respondents, 80.4% were female. 81.6% were White, followed by 10.6% Black, 4.0% other/multi-racial, and 3.8% Hispanic. Overall, 35.2% reported having cancer-predisposing gene mutations. Mutation carriers were younger than those non-carriers (54.8 [SD 13.7] vs 60.3 [SD 12.8] years). After adjusting for age, carriers were more likely than non-carriers to have had breast MRI ( p&lt;.001), colorectal cancer screening ( p=.039), ovarian cancer screening ( p=.043), and an FBSE ( p=.007) (Table). No statistically significant differences in mammogram (OR=1.50, 95% CI=0.55-2.30; p=.13), cervical cancer (OR=0.92, 95% CI=0.54-1.59; p=.77), PSA (OR=0.70, 95% CI: 0.26-1.88; p=.48), or lung cancer (OR=1.18, 95% CI=0.72-1.92; p=.51) screening between carriers and non-carriers. By race/ethnicity, cervical cancer screening (Hispanic 92%, White 90.6%, other/multiracial 80.7% and Black 76%; p=.002) and colorectal cancer screening (White 83.3%, other/multiracial 71.8%, Black 71.4% and Hispanic 66.6%; p=.004) differed significantly. Conclusions: In this diverse cohort of individuals at high risk for cancer, findings highlight an increased awareness and uptake of cancer screening, though varying by race/ethnicity. Cancer risk assessment clinics can be great avenues to provide comprehensive cancer screening and prevention strategies while addressing racial/ethnic screening disparities. [Table: see text]

Evaluating the association between radiomic features on breast MRI and dormant tumor cell presence in the SURMOUNT trial.

561 Background: While breast cancer treatment is effective at eradicating primary disease, approximately 20% of patients will ultimately recur at a distant site. Recurrence has been linked to the presence of minimal residual disease (MRD) after treatment, which presents as circulating micrometastases and dormant tumor cells (DTCs) located primarily in the bone marrow. Radiomic features on MRI are imaging biomarkers that have been linked with lesion heterogeneity, which in turn has been associated with disease aggressiveness. Here, we examine the association between radiomic features from the primary lesion on MRI and the presence of post-treatment DTCs. Noninvasively identifying patients at high risk of MRD would facilitate optimized treatment strategies to reduce recurrence risk. Methods: Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI data from breast cancer survivors enrolled in the SURMOUNT trial (N=104) were retrospectively analyzed. Participants with MRIs collected within 90 days of diagnosis who consented to provide a bone marrow aspirate (BMA) sample were eligible. Working with a board-certified radiologist, we successfully identified and segmented the primary lesion for N=70 patients with BMA outcomes. Using the publicly available CaPTk software, we computed 33 radiomic features for each segmented lesion based on pixel intensity, morphology, and grey level textures. To reduce the dimensionality of the feature space, we used these feature values to group the participants into clusters—termed radiomic phenotypes — via agglomerative hierarchical clustering with significance testing. Fisher’s exact test was applied to test the statistical significance of the association between radiomic phenotype and BMA outcome (± DTC). For all statistical tests, p&lt;0.05 was considered significant. Results: Of the N=70 participants analyzed, 58 were negative and 12 were positive for DTCs present in the bone marrow. Two statistically significant radiomic phenotypes ( p&lt;0.05) were identified that were strongly associated with BMA outcome ( p=0.0251). 11 out of 12 positive outcomes were grouped into the second radiomic phenotype (Table). Conclusions: We found a statistically significant association between DTC presence and radiomic phenotypes derived from MRI data. Given the large percentage of positive outcomes assigned to the second radiomic phenotype, the radiomic phenotypes may indicate low and high risk of MRD, respectively. Importantly, this analysis shows promise for the ability to predict MRD from noninvasive imaging features. These results motivate continued data collection to increase sample size and identify a robust set of radiomic features, which may ultimately be used as predictors in potential models of MRD risk. [Table: see text]

Real-world cancer care utilization among patients with breast cancer with germline variants of uncertain significance.

10512 Background: Receipt of variant of uncertain significance (VUS) results from germline genetic testing (GGT) is common, but should not influence treatment or surveillance interventions. We examined treatment and surveillance uptake among breast (BC) patients (pts) undergoing GGT. Methods: GGT (Invitae Corporation) and insurance claims (Komodo Healthcare Map) data were assembled for female pts with ICD code(s) for BC or DCIS from 2015-2023, GGT &lt;120 days post-diagnosis (dx) and &gt;1 year of claims pre- and post-GGT. Inclusion/exclusion criteria followed prior work (PMID 32027353). Genes analyzed for VUS and positive (&gt;1 pathogenic germline variant, PGV) results were those with high ( &gt; 50%; BRCA1/ 2, CDH1, PALB2, PTEN, TP53) or moderate (20-50%; ATM, BARD1, CHEK2, NF1, STK11, RAD51C/D) BC risk. Multivariable logistic regression models of the association between GGT results and interventions included race/ethnicity, age, family history, local/distant metastasis, and log-transformed time from BC dx to GGT. Chi-square tests were used to compare demographics of VUS pts to other pts. Significance was set to p &lt; 0.05. Results: The cohort consisted of 19,334 pts (2005 VUS, 16,062 negative, 1,267 positive): 68% White, 25% lymph node involvement, 63% cancer family history, 28% Medicare/Medicaid, mean (SD) age at testing: 53 (11) and mean (SD) days from dx to GGT: 37 (25). VUS pts were more likely to be non-White (p &lt; 0.001). VUS pts were not more likely than negative pts to undergo BC-related therapies or surveillance, except for (anthracycline) chemotherapy (Table). In contrast, positive pts had significantly greater odds than negative pts of bilateral mastectomy, platinum/anthracycline chemotherapy, PARP inhibitors, and breast MRI. Conclusions: In a contemporary, real-world cohort of nearly 20,000 BC patients, receipt of BC-related interventions was similar in VUS and negative pts. VUS results do not appear to prompt guideline-discordant management, though the finding of increased anthracycline use needs further study. [Table: see text]

A pilot study of early PET and biomarker dynamics in patients with stage 2 and 3 triple negative breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant response-adapted chemotherapy with pembrolizumab (NeoADAPT).

TPS624 Background: In patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) the addition of pembrolizumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy has improved pathologic complete response rates (pCR) and 5-year event free survival (EFS). Patients with TNBC who achieve a pCR have a significantly lower risk of recurrence compared to those with residual disease (RD). However, pCR can only be assessed at the time of surgery after completion of 6 months of intensive chemo-immunotherapy, associated with up to 77% high-grade treatment-related toxicity. Identifying pCR early on is imperative in developing optimized and individualized treatments, however, there are no predictive biomarkers. Studies in HER2-positive breast cancer have shown that early fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) changes soon after initiation of neoadjuvant treatment can help predict the pathological outcomes at the time of surgery and also the risk of recurrence. Emerging data also support that clearance of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) during neoadjuvant treatment may be associated with higher rates of pCR. We thus designed a study to determine the association of early FDG-PET changes and ctDNA clearance with pCR in early-stage TNBC. Methods: NeoADAPT is a phase 2, open label, single center clinical trial including adult patients with previously untreated clinical stage 2 or 3 TNBC. Participants will receive 4 cycles of neoadjuvant paclitaxel/carboplatin with pembrolizumab (TC/pembro), per standard-of-care (SOC). An FDG-PET will be performed at baseline and after 1 cycle. A breast MRI will be performed at baseline and after completion of 4 cycles of treatment. Patients with a complete clinical response (cCR) will proceed to surgery and will forgo more neoadjuvant treatment. Patients with clinical RD on MRI will complete SOC neoadjuvant therapy with 4 cycles of doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (AC) with pembro prior to surgery. If RD is identified after surgery, adjuvant therapy will be determined by the treating oncologist, which may include pembro with AC (if not given prior), capecitabine, etc. The primary objective is to evaluate if lack of decrease in maximum FDG-PET standard uptake value of lean body mass (SULmax) by less than 40% after 1 cycle of neoadjuvant treatment correlates with RD at the time of surgery (i.e. determining the negative predictive value of FDG-PET). Additional key endpoints include ctDNA clearance, evaluation of pCR and cCR rates in the treatment population and EFS. Distributions of percent reduction in SULmax will be compared between pCR and no-pCR groups using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis will be performed to estimate the ability of FDG-PET SULmax reduction and cCR by MRI in predicting pCR at surgery. Clinical trial information: NCT06245889 .

Ultrasound versus MRI for evaluation of silicone leakage from silicone breast implants

BackgroundImplant ruptures and gel bleed are not uncommon among women with silicone breast implants. While magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is traditionally considered the gold standard diagnostic modality, recent studies suggest ultrasound might be an acceptable alternative. This study compares the efficacy of ultrasound and MRI in assessing implant integrity. MethodsWomen with silicone breast implants underwent a breast and axillary ultrasound and MRI on the same day. All tests were assessed by experienced radiologists. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of ultrasound and MRI for implant rupture detection and silicone depositions in axillary lymph nodes were evaluated. FindingsA total of 104 women participated in the study. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of ultrasound for detecting implant ruptures compared to MRI were 96 %, 95 %, and 96 %, respectively. MRI demonstrated significantly lower sensitivity (44 %) for detecting silicone depositions in axillary lymph nodes compared to ultrasound. A significant association was observed between the presence of enlarged axillary lymph nodes and/or axillary pain and the detection of silicone depositions in axillary lymph nodes on ultrasound (χ2 (1, N = 104) = 5·1, p = 0·024). Six women exhibited silicone depositions in axillary lymph nodes despite having intact first-pair implants, indicative of gel bleed. InterpretationUltrasound is nearly as effective as MRI for detecting breast implant ruptures and is superior for detecting silicone depositions in axillary lymph nodes. We therefore recommend initiating radiological examination in women with breast implants with a breast and axillary ultrasound, proceeding to MRI only if the ultrasound is inconclusive. The prevalence of gel bleed is understudied and its potential adverse health effects might be underestimated. Further research is needed to explore its potential association with development of systemic symptoms.

Survival outcomes of Zo-NAnTAx: a five-year analysis of zoledronic acid added to a neoadjuvant regimen for HER2-positive breast cancer.

Zoledronic acid (ZA) improved outcomes in breast cancer. In pre-clinical studies, ZA increased tumour regression in combination chemotherapy and anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) target therapy. The Zo-NAnTax study, a clinical trial combining ZA with neoadjuvant therapy for HER2-positive tumours met the primary endpoint, showing a higher pathological complete response (pCR) rate than predicted in patients receiving surgery. Here, we report the exploratory relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) analysis after five years of follow-up. Adult women with HER2-positive breast cancer amendable to curative surgery who consented to the study received four cycles of ZA at 4 mg + doxorubicin 60 mg/m2 + cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2 followed by four cycles of ZA at 4 mg + docetaxel 100 mg/m2 + trastuzumab 6 mg/kg (8 mg/kg as a loading dose), all in a 21 days-cycle, totalizing 8 cycles before surgery. To achieve the primary endpoint of pCR rate between 22% and 35%, 56 patients were needed. The secondary endpoints included safety, gene expression according to treatment response, prediction of pCR rate by an interim breast magnetic resonance imaging (bMRI). Beyond the overall pCR rate of 42%, alongside a good safety profile, we showed similar pCR rates in both hormonal receptor (HR) positive (40%) and HR-negative (44%). RFS and OS at five years were evaluated in 58 subjects, and the overall rate was 79.3% and 86.2%, respectively. Numerically higher values of both RFS and OS were observed in patients achieving pCR vs. non-achieving, respectively 83.3% vs. non-pCR 76.5% (P=0.57) and 95.8% vs. non-pCR 79.4% (P=0.08). Although not statistically significant, OS was numerically equivalent according to HR status, respectively 85.7% vs. 87.5% for HR-positive and HR-negative (P=0.91), which contrasted with RFS, HR-positive 81% vs. HR-negative 75% (P=0.58). None of the assessed clinicopathological biomarkers significantly correlated with survival. ZA plus neoadjuvant therapy in HER2-positive breast cancer shows provoking survival outcomes. Clinical and pre-clinical investigation with dual anti-HER2 blockage is warranted.

Breast cancer recurrence rate after mastectomy in young females.

e12591 Background: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed female cancer worldwide and the most common cause of cancer mortality in women. Surgical treatment of early breast cancer includes lumpectomy or mastectomy with or without reconstruction. Despite the surgeon’s best effort to perform a radical resection of the breast tissue during mastectomy to achieve locoregional control, residual fibroglandular tissue was found in 20% of breasts on postoperative breast MRI, which carries a risk of recurrence. Younger women with breast cancer have inferior survival rates despite receiving more aggressive therapy. Tumors in young women are more likely to be poorly differentiated, hormone receptor-negative, have a high proliferation index, and more lymphovascular invasion, which is partially explained by patients’ genetic profile. Another factor that could contribute to poor outcomes is the advanced stage at the time of diagnosis, including larger tumor size and higher rates of axillary lymph node positivity. This knowledge has motivated us to conduct this study that is dedicated to looking at the recurrence rate in young females following mastectomy. Methods: This is a retrospective study that collected data from young female patients who were diagnosed with breast cancer between January 2010 and August 2018, had an age at diagnosis of 18-45 years old, and underwent unilateral or bilateral mastectomy with or without reconstruction. The study also looked at the patient’s risk factors and genetic profile. Results: A total of 115 patients were diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer between January 2010 and August 2018 and underwent mastectomy. 81.74% were Caucasian females, and 8.7% were African American females. The mean age of diagnosis was 36.9 years. The mean BMI was 30.5 kg/m2. 59.13% of patients had a family history of breast cancer. The most common genetic mutations were BRCA1 at 7.83% and BRCA2 at 8.7%. 71% of patients underwent a bilateral mastectomy. 76% of patients had reconstruction. 77% of tumors were ER-positive, 68% PR-positive, and 26% HER2-positive. 49.4% of tumors were Nottingham grade 3. 52% of patients had no nodal involvement, while 35% had N1 disease. 34.6% had lymphovascular invasion. We found that 18/115 patients had recurrence of breast cancer following mastectomy. 5/17 patients had locoregional recurrence, while 12/17 patients had a distant recurrence; 1 patient’s recurrence data was unavailable. The median time to recurrence was 1147.5 days (335 to 3107). The 5-year recurrence free survival rate is 86% ± 3%. Conclusions: Our study found that 15.65% of young females had recurrence after mastectomy. To our knowledge, this is the first dedicated study to look at the recurrence rate after mastectomy in this young, high-risk patient population. Our study aims to encourage larger studies in young females with breast cancer to help tailor the treatment plan in this population.

Effects of preoperative breast MRI on surgical management in women aged 40 years and younger with breast cancer.

e13656 Background: Evaluating the use of preoperative breast MRI on the management of breast cancer can help guide surgical decision making for young female patients newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Methods: A retrospective chart review of the George Washington University database between January 2015 and December 2020 identified 125 women age 40 or younger diagnosed with breast cancer. Of the 125 women, 23 were excluded from the study as they were lost to follow up due to care transfers. The management impact of pre-operative MRI was examined and variables collected include age, race, family history, genetic predisposition, breast density, method of detection, initial imaging findings, initial biopsy results, preoperative MRI findings, additional biopsies, additional biopsy results, and surgery type. Results: Patient ages ranged from 22 to 40 (mean 34.5), 69 (67.6%) had a family history of breast cancer, 81 (79.4%) had dense breasts (30 extremely dense and 51 heterogeneously dense), and 82 (80.4%) had the cancer detected due to clinical symptoms with the remaining during surveillance due to high risk. Of all women included, 55 (53.9%) had additional findings on MRI warranting biopsy of which 25 (45.5%) were biopsy proven cancer. 39 (39.4%) patients had lumpectomy and 59 (59.6%) had mastectomy. 1 (0.01%) patient did not undergo surgery due to widespread metastasis. The use of preoperative MRI identified additional carcinoma in 25 (24.5%) out of 102 patients. 24 (96%) in the ipsilateral breast, and 1 (4%) in the contralateral breast. Conclusions: Overall, this data indicates that the use of preoperative MRI for the treatment of breast cancer in young patients increases the detection of occult breast cancer prior to definitive therapy in 24.5% of patients, critically important information for optimal management. We recommend that all young women with newly diagnosed breast cancer undergo pre-operative MRI to further optimize patient care.

The Role of MRI in Breast Cancer and Breast Conservation Therapy.

Contrast-enhanced breast MRI has an established role in aiding in the detection, evaluation, and management of breast cancer. This article discusses MRI sequences, the clinical utility of MRI, and how MRI has been evaluated for use in breast radiotherapy treatment planning. We highlight the contribution of MRI in the decision-making regarding selecting appropriate candidates for breast conservation therapy and review the emerging role of MRI-guided breast radiotherapy.

Contribution of mammography to breast cancer detection among pathogenic germline BRCA carriers by age and mutated gene.

10615 Background: Healthy carriers of pathogenic germline BRCA 1/2 (gBRCA) may choose between risk reducing mastectomy and intensive screening surveillance. Current international guidelines recommend both annual breast MRI and annual mammography. The aim of this study was to investigate the added contribution of annual mammography in gBRCA carriers to the annual breast MRI. Methods: A retrospective study from 2 large centers comprising gBRCA carriers who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 2000-2022 and were aware of their gBRCA status prior breast cancer diagnosis. Collected data included age at diagnosis, mutated gene and mode of breast cancer diagnosis (MRI, mammography, ultrasound [US], or other means [including clinical or incidental findings]). Data on pregnancy and breastfeeding at the time of breast cancer diagnosis were also collected. Differences in the mode of diagnosis were analyzed by age (≤40y vs. &gt;40y) and mutated gene (BRCA1 vs. BRCA2). Results: The cohort included 200 gBRCA carries: 134 (67%) BRCA1, 62 (31%) BRCA2 and 4 (2%) with both BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. The median age at the time of breast cancer diagnosis was 41 (24-88). Most cancers (68%) were diagnosed by MRI, followed by mammography (14.5%), US (7%) and other means (10.5%). While MRI was the most common diagnosis modality in both age groups, the distribution of mode of diagnosis was significantly different in younger women (≤40y) where breast cancer detection was more commonly by US or following clinical findings, compared to older women, p&lt; 0.001 (see Table). Five women were pregnant and 9 women were breastfeeding at the time of breast cancer diagnosis, all age 40 or younger. Four (80%) of pregnant carriers and 5 (55.6%) of breastfeeding carriers were diagnosed by US. There was no difference in mode of diagnosis between BRCA1 to BRCA2 carriers, p=0.974. There were only 16 women under age 30 that were diagnosed with breast cancer, 2 (12.5%) of whom were diagnosed with mammography. Conclusions: MRI is the most common modality for breast cancer diagnosis in gBRCA carriers who were aware if there gBRCA prior breast cancer diagnosis. Annual mammography also has a meaningful role in this population. We did not identify a subgroup in which it could be omitted. The increased utility of US among younger women is attributed to reduced utilization of MRI/mammography during pregnancy and breastfeeding. This finding strengthens the role of US screening in gBRCA carriers who are not eligible for other methods of imaging. [Table: see text]