Background Breast Parenchymal Signal During Menstrual Cycle on Diffusion-Weighted MRI: A Prospective Study in Healthy Premenopausal Women.

Objective: To prospectively investigate the influence of the menstrual cycle on the background parenchymal signal (BPS) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the breast on diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) in healthy premenopausal women.

Materials And Methods: Seven healthy premenopausal women (median age, 37 years; range, 33-49 years) with regular menstrual cycles participated in this study. DW-MRI was performed during each of the four phases of the menstrual cycle (four examinations in total).

Automated Versus Handheld Breast Ultrasound for Evaluating Axillary Lymph Nodes in Patients With Breast Cancer.

Objective: Automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) is a relevant imaging technique for early breast cancer diagnosis and is increasingly being used as a supplementary tool for mammography. This study compared the performance of ABUS and handheld ultrasound (HHUS) in detecting and characterizing the axillary lymph nodes (LNs) in patients with breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of women with recently diagnosed early breast cancer (≤ T2) who underwent both ABUS and HHUS examinations for axilla (September 2017-May 2018).

Unenhanced Breast MRI With Diffusion-Weighted Imaging for Breast Cancer Detection: Effects of Training on Performance and Agreement of Subspecialty Radiologists.

Objective: To investigate whether reader training improves the performance and agreement of radiologists in interpreting unenhanced breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).

Materials And Methods: A study of 96 breasts (35 cancers, 24 benign, and 37 negative) in 48 asymptomatic women was performed between June 2019 and October 2020. High-resolution DWI with b-values of 0, 800, and 1200 sec/mm² was performed using a 3.

Development and External Validation of a Machine Learning Model to Predict Pathological Complete Response After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Several predictive models have been developed to predict the pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC); however, few are broadly applicable owing to radiologic complexity and institution-specific clinical variables, and none have been externally validated. This study aimed to develop and externally validate a machine learning model that predicts pCR after NAC in patients with breast cancer using routinely collected clinical and demographic variables.

Methods: The electronic medical records of patients with advanced breast cancer who underwent NAC before surgical resection between January 2017 and December 2020 were reviewed.

The Value of Adding Ductography to Ultrasonography for the Evaluation of Pathologic Nipple Discharge in Women with Negative Mammography.

Objective: The optimal imaging approach for evaluating pathological nipple discharge remains unclear. We investigated the value of adding ductography to ultrasound (US) for evaluating pathologic nipple discharge in patients with negative mammography findings.

Materials And Methods: From July 2003 to December 2018, 101 women (mean age, 46.

Association between Bone Mineral Density and Coronary Atherosclerotic Plaque According to Plaque Composition: Registry for the Women Health Cohort for Bone, Breast, and Coronary Artery Disease Study.

Background: Although biological links are unclear, low bone density and atherosclerosis are inversely associated. This study evaluated the association between bone mineral density (BMD) and coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) findings, including coronary artery calcification (CAC) score and the presence, extent, and composition of coronary atherosclerotic plaque (CAP) in asymptomatic women.

Methods: A symptomatic women aged ≥40 years (N=2, 100; median age, 52 years; range, 40-80 years) were selected from a retrospective observational cohort and stratified into normal, osteopenia, and osteoporosis groups according to BMD T-score grades.

Microcalcifications and Peritumoral Edema Predict Survival Outcome in Luminal Breast Cancer Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

Background Little is known regarding findings at imaging associated with survival in patients with luminal breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Purpose To determine the relationship between imaging (MRI, US, and mammography) and clinical-pathologic variables in predicting distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with luminal breast cancer treated with NAC. Materials and Methods In this retrospective study, consecutive women with luminal breast cancer who underwent NAC followed by surgery were identified from the breast cancer registries of two hospitals.

Corrigendum: Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Breast Cancer Screening in High-Risk Women: Design and Imaging Protocol of a Prospective Multicenter Study in Korea.

This corrects the article on p. 218 in vol. 24, PMID: 33913277.

Effect of Estrogen Receptor Expression Level and Hormonal Therapy on Prognosis of Early Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Estrogen receptor (ER) expression in breast cancer plays an essential role in carcinogenesis and disease progression. Recently, tumors with low level (1%-10%) of ER expression have been separately defined as ER low positive (ERlow). It is suggested that ERlow tumors might be morphologically and behaviorally different from tumors with high ER expression (ERhigh).

Using a mobile device for margin assessment of specimen mammography in breast-conserving surgery.

To compare the performance of margin assessment of specimen mammography (SM) in patients with breast-conserving surgery (BCS) on mobile devices and 5-megapixel (5M) thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) monitors based on the safety margin for pathologic results.This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board, and the requirement for informed consent was waived. A total of 105 consecutive breast cancer SM samples from 104 women who underwent BCS were included in the study.

Diagnostic Performance of Artificial Intelligence-Based Computer-Aided Diagnosis for Breast Microcalcification on Mammography.

The present study evaluated the diagnostic performance of artificial intelligence-based computer-aided diagnosis (AI-CAD) compared to that of dedicated breast radiologists in characterizing suspicious microcalcification on mammography. We retrospectively analyzed 435 unilateral mammographies from 420 patients (286 benign; 149 malignant) undergoing biopsy for suspicious microcalcification from June 2003 to November 2019. Commercial AI-CAD was applied to the mammography images, and malignancy scores were calculated.

Ultrasonography and ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy can predict a heavy nodal metastatic burden in early-stage breast cancer.

Purpose: This study aimed to predict a heavy nodal burden (≥3 metastatic axillary lymph nodes [LNs]) using axillary ultrasonography (US) and US-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in patients with early-stage breast cancer.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 403 women (404 cancers) who underwent US-guided FNAB for axillary LN staging from January 2006 to December 2015. US findings and US-guided FNAB results were reviewed and compared using pathology results as the reference.

Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Breast Cancer Screening in High-Risk Women: Design and Imaging Protocol of a Prospective Multicenter Study in Korea.

Purpose: Interest in unenhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) screening for breast cancer is growing due to concerns about gadolinium deposition in the brain and the high cost of contrast-enhanced MRI. The purpose of this report is to describe the protocol of the Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging Screening Trial (DWIST), which is a prospective, multicenter, intraindividual comparative cohort study designed to compare the performance of mammography, ultrasonography, dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI, and diffusion-weighted (DW) MRI screening in women at high risk of developing breast cancer.

Methods: A total of 890 women with mutation or family history of breast cancer and lifetime risk ≥ 20% are enrolled.

Breast Arterial Calcification: A Potential Biomarker for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk?

Purpose Of Review: We aimed to summarize the current evidence regarding the association between breast arterial calcification (BAC) and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in women and discuss the potential role of BAC in the risk stratification and preventive approaches for ASCVD.

Recent Findings: BAC has emerged as a potential women-specific risk marker for ASCVD. Although BAC presents as a medial calcification of the arteries, notably different from the intimal atherosclerotic process, current evidence supports a correlation between BAC and ASCVD risk factors or subclinical and clinical ASCVD, such as coronary artery disease or stroke.

Application of magnetic resonance computer-aided diagnosis for preoperatively determining invasive disease in ultrasonography-guided core needle biopsy-proven ductal carcinoma in situ.

The aim of this study was to analyze kinetic and morphologic features using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) with computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) to predict occult invasive components in cases of biopsy-proven ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).We enrolled 138 patients with 141 breasts who underwent preoperative breast MRI and were diagnosed with DCIS via ultrasonography (US)-guided core needle biopsy performed at our institution during January 2009 to December 2012. Their clinical, mammographic, ultrasonographic, MRI, and final histologic findings were retrospectively reviewed.

Tumor Sphericity Predicts Response in Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Invasive Breast Cancer.

This retrospective study examined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived tumor sphericity (SPH) as a quantitative measure of breast tumor morphology, and investigated the association between SPH and reader-assessed morphological pattern (MP). In addition, association of SPH with pathologic complete response was evaluated in patients enrolled in an adaptively randomized clinical trial designed to rapidly identify new agents for breast cancer. All patients underwent MRI examinations at multiple time points during the treatment.

False-negative results on computer-aided detection software in preoperative automated breast ultrasonography of breast cancer patients.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure the cancer detection rate of computer-aided detection (CAD) software in preoperative automated breast ultrasonography (ABUS) of breast cancer patients and to determine the characteristics associated with false-negative outcomes.

Methods: A total of 129 index lesions (median size, 1.7 cm; interquartile range, 1.

Comparison of One- and Two-Region of Interest Strain Elastography Measurements in the Differential Diagnosis of Breast Masses.

Objective: To compare the diagnostic performance and interobserver variability of strain ratio obtained from one or two regions of interest (ROI) on breast elastography.

Materials And Methods: From April to May 2016, 140 breast masses in 140 patients who underwent conventional ultrasonography (US) with strain elastography followed by US-guided biopsy were evaluated. Three experienced breast radiologists reviewed recorded US and elastography images, measured strain ratios, and categorized them according to the American College of Radiology breast imaging reporting and data system lexicon.

Benign Breast Papilloma without Atypia: Outcomes of Surgical Excision versus US-guided Directional Vacuum-assisted Removal or US Follow-up.

Background Recent studies suggest that US-guided directional vacuum-assisted removal (DVAR) is a satisfactory alternative to surgery for benign papilloma of the breast and recommend discretionary diagnostic US follow-up without intervention. Purpose To compare the outcomes of benign papilloma without atypia diagnosed with core needle biopsy (CNB) in patients who underwent US-guided DVAR, US follow-up without intervention, or surgery. Materials and Methods This retrospective review included consecutive patients with benign papilloma without atypia diagnosed with US-guided CNB between January 2005 and September 2015.

Usefulness of preoperative breast magnetic resonance imaging with a dedicated axillary sequence for the detection of axillary lymph node metastasis in patients with early ductal breast cancer.

Objective: Axillary staging of primary breast cancer is important; however, axillary staging using advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques is very difficult to use. Therefore, we want to evaluate the diagnostic performance of preoperative MRI with a dedicated axillary sequence for axillary lymph node (ALN) metastasis in patients with early ductal breast cancer and determine potential predictors of axillary nodal positivity.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the MRI findings for 74 consecutive patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.

Additive value of diffusion-weighted MRI in the I-SPY 2 TRIAL.

Background: The change in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measured from diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has been shown to be predictive of pathologic complete response (pCR) for patients with locally invasive breast cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Purpose: To investigate the additive value of tumor ADC in a multicenter clinical trial setting.

Study Type: Retrospective analysis of multicenter prospective data.

Reliability of automated versus handheld breast ultrasound examinations of suspicious breast masses.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) examinations of suspicious breast masses in comparison to handheld breast ultrasound (HHUS) with regard to Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category assessment, and to investigate the factors affecting discrepancies in categorization.

Methods: A total of 135 masses that were assessed as BI-RADS categories 4 and 5 on ABUS that underwent ultrasound (US)-guided core needle biopsy from May 2017 to December 2017 were included in this study. The BI-RADS categories were re-assessed using HHUS.

A computer-aided diagnosis system using artificial intelligence for the diagnosis and characterization of breast masses on ultrasound: Added value for the inexperienced breast radiologist.

To evaluate the value of the computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) program applied to diagnostic breast ultrasonography (US) based on operator experience.US images of 100 breast masses from 91 women over 2 months (from May to June 2015) were collected and retrospectively analyzed. Three less experienced and 2 experienced breast imaging radiologists analyzed the US features of the breast masses without and with CAD according to the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) lexicon and categories.