Aims and objectives
Shear wave elastography (SWE) is a novel promising technique,
which can obtain quantitative elasticity values in breast disease [1,2].
Recently,
there has been great interest in the SWE use for such features of invasive breast cancer as: immunohistochemical profile,
tumor suptypes and histopathologic characteristics [3-6].
The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of quantitative shear wave elastography (qSWE) to distinguish different grades of invasive breast cancer (BC).
Methods and materials
52 women with solitary breast masses underwent B-mode ultrasonography (BUS) and SWE before surgical treatment.
Two qSWE indices – “tissue stiffness” (kPa) and “shear waves velocity” (m/s) were measured at the “suspicious” area of tumors detected by SWE.
Minimum,
maximum and median values for both qSWE indices were estimated.
Invasive BCs with different levels of tumor malignancy (grade) were verified in all cases by postoperative histological evaluation.
Data of qSWE were correlated with the histopathologic findings retrospectively.
Results
All 52 patients were divided into three groups,
according to degree of malignancy.
Nine patients with Grade 1 were included in the group A.
The groups B and C consisted of patients with Grade 2 and Grade 3 (19 and 25 cases accordingly).
Stiffness level of BC tissues in the group A was (17.0-97.0; 90.6 kPa),
in the group B (78.1-142.4 and 129.0 kPa) and in the group C (95.4-166.0 and 134.0 kPa).
Shear waves velocity indices in groups A,
B and C were: 2.4-6.4,...
Conclusion
Such quantitative SWE parameters as: tissue stiffness (kPa) and shear waves velocity (m/s) may give helpful information about BC aggressiveness (grade).
References
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Shear-wave elastography of invasive breast cancer: correlation between quantitative mean elasticity value and immunohistochemical profile // Breast Cancer Res Treat.
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