Wing-Fai F. Au MBBS, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Sandeep Ghai MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Fang-I Lu MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Hadas Moshonov PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Hemi Dua MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Pavel Crystal MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

To correlate prognostic histologic features of breast cancer to quantitative shear wave elastography (SWE) parameters.

53 patients (mean age 58 years) with 56 breast cancers (mean size 15 mm) were included in this prospective study. 89% of the cancers were invasive ductal carcinomas. SWE was performed with the Aixplorer ultrasound system (Supersonic Imagine, Aix-en-Provence,France). 3 quantitative SWE parameters (mean elasticity: E mean, maximum elasticity: E max, elasticity ratio: E ratio) were recorded.Cancer size was determined from ultrasound. Histologic grade, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), lymph node status and biomarker profile of the cancer (estrogen receptor:ER, progesterone receptor:PR, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2:HER 2) were determined from the surgical pathology reports. Correlation between these features and the SWE parameters was assessed.

Significant positive correlation was found between cancer size and all SWE parameters (correlation for E mean: 0.518, E max:0.510, E ratio:0.580; all P-values 0.05).There was a trend towards a significant correlation between lymph node status and E mean, E max (positive lymph node: E mean:177.8, E max:209.1; negative lymph node: E mean:122.1, E max:145.7; P-values 0.062, 0.047 respectively). There was significant correlation between LVI and all 3 SWE parameters (positive LVI: E mean:190.5, E max 217.8, E ratio:16.9; negative LVI: E mean:115.6,E max:142.6, E ratio:9.2; all P-values0.05). In multivariate analysis,significant correlation was found between cancer size and all SWE parameters, LVI and E mean (all P-values<0.05).

Cancer size and LVI were significantly correlated with the SWE parameters. There was no significant correlation between histologic grade, lymph node status, or cancer biomarker profile and the SWE parameters.

Shear wave elastography is of value to predict prognosis of breast cancer since LVI is associated with worse outcome of the disease.

Au, W, Ghai, S, Lu, F, Moshonov, H, Dua, H, Crystal, P, Quantitative Shear Wave Elastography: Correlation to Prognostic Histologic Features of Breast Cancer.  Radiological Society of North America 2013 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, December 1 - December 6, 2013 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2013/13013644.html