Preliminary study on predicting the response of breast carcinoma to neoadjuvant chemotherapy using apparent diffusion coefficient / 中华放射学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the value of apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)of breast carcinoma before and one course after neoadjuvant chemotherapy,and to predict the response of breast carcinoma to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Methods Twenty female patients with 21 breast carcinoma lesions were examined with diffusion weighted imaging(DWI)and contrast-enhanced MRI within 7 days prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy(adriamycin + taxinol),during 18-21 days after the first couse of therapy and within 7 days prior to the surgery resection.The tumors were divided into response group and relative nonresponse group by change of the tumor.The difference of ADC between the two groups before and after 1st course of chemotherapy was compared.Results In chemotherapy response group with 15 lesions,the mean ADC was(0.98±0.15)×10-3 mm2/s before chemotherapy and increased to(1.22±0.23)×10-3 mm2/s after 1 st course of chemotherapy(P＜0.05),while in nonresponse group with 6 lesions,the mean ADC before and after chemocherapy was(1.09±0.08)×10-3 mm2/s and(1.11±0.07)×10-3 mm2/s,respectively,with no statistical difference(P>0.05).The mean ADC of response group prior to chemotherapy was significantly lower than that of nonresponse group(P＜0.05).A significant negative correlation(r=-0.51,P＜0.05)was observed between the ADC prior to treatment and change of ADC after the first couse therapy.Conclusion Preliminary results revealed the initial ADC of the tumor in patient with breast carcinoma and the changes of ADC after 1 st couse treatment may predict response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.