Diffusion-weighted MRI values: early prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer

https://doi.org/10.52322/jocmbmh.121.08

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of our study was to evaluate the importance of diffusion coefficients and diffusion – weighted magnetic resonance imaging to predict treatment response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) in patients with breast cancer.

Material and Methods: fifteen patients were diagnosed as breast cancer and treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The breast magnetic resonance imaging was performed before chemotherapy, one week after first cycle of chemotherapy and after the last course of treatment, respectively. Accordingly, tumor volume changes and ADC value changes were measured, analyzed and compared their degree of correlation to the pathology complete response (pCR).

Results: After the first cycle of NCT, the ADC values in the pCR group significantly decreased, earlier than tumor volume (50% and 20%, p <0.05). The increasing percent of the initial ADC values mean was 50% in the pCR, different from the mean of uncomplete response group which was 12% (p<0.001).

Conclusion: After chemotherapy, the greater the change in ADC value, the more sensitive to neoadjuvant chemotherapy of tumor. Therefore, we may be able to predict breast cancer response to treatment immediately following the first course of chemotherapy.