Role of the dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI in assessing the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy of breast cancer / 中国癌症杂志

ABSTRACT

Background and purpose:Neoadjuvant chemotherapy to breast cancer has become a mature treat-ment method. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI in assessing the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).Methods:Twenty-four female patients with breast carcinoma (24 were all inva-sive ductal carcinoma) underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) before, after the second and ifnal cycle of NAC. For each patient and each MRI examination, the maximum diameter of tumor, volume transfer constant (Ktrans), exchange rate constant (Kep), and extravascular extracellular volume fraction (Ve) were compared. According to the method of response evaluation criteria in solid tumor (RECIST), the results of neoadjuvant chemotherapy were divided into responder and non-responder.Results:All 24 patients were unilateral and single breast cancer; there were 17 cases of responders and 7 cases of non-responders according to RECIST criteria. For 17 cases of responders, both the average values ofKtrans andKepwere signiifcantly descended after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (allP<0.05).Conclusion:The quantitative parameters ofKtrans andKep can evaluate objectively and veridically the response to neoadjuvant chemother-apy for breast cancer in dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI.