3D breast ultrasound can measure a patient's tumor response after receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) better than a standard breast MRI, according to a study published May 5 in the European Journal of Radiology.
Although MRI remains popular for breast cancer, it is time consuming, easy to misinterpret and costly, according to lead author of the study L.S.E. van Egdom, MD, a surgical oncologist at the Erasmus MC Cancer Institute in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
For analysis, researchers conducted response measurement with 3D ultrasound Automated Breast Volume Scanner (ABVS) and compared it to breast MRI, while also measuring and comparing patient satisfaction.
The study included 25 patients with invasive breast cancer who received NAC. The team measured tumor response by comparing diameters and volumes using Bland-Altman analysis, the researchers wrote.
Additionally, breast MRI and ABVS volume measurements were found through utilizing a virtual reality system and V-scope software.
The researchers found that overall patient satisfaction for ABVS was 93 percent compared to 12 percent for breast MRI. Specifically, MRI and ABVS showed absolute concordance in 73 percent of patients for 20 eligible mid-NAC evaluation patients, "with a 'good' correlation for the difference in lonest diameter measurement as compared to baseline assessment," the researchers wrote.
"ABVS showed 'good' correlation with MRI tumor response evaluation in breast cancer patients during NAC with 'excellent' inter- and intra-observer agreement," the researchers concluded. "ABVS has patients’ preference over breast MRI and could be considered as alternative to breast MRI, in case results on an on-going prospective trial confirm these results."
A recent graduate from Dominican University (IL) with a bachelor’s in journalism, Melissa joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering all aspects of health imaging. She’s a fan of singing and playing guitar, elephants, a good cup of tea, and her golden retriever Cooper.