Magnetic Resonance Imaging Response Monitoring of Breast Cancer During Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: Relevance of Breast Cancer Subtype

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Abstract
Purpose To evaluate the relevance of breast cancer subtypes for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers for monitoring of therapy response during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Patients and Methods MRI examinations were performed in 188 women before and during NAC. MRI interpretation included lesion morphology at baseline, changes in morphology, size, and contrast uptake kinetics (initial and late enhancement). By using immunohistochemistry, tumors were divided into three subtypes: triple negative, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive, and estrogen receptor (ER) positive/HER2 negative. Tumor response was assessed dichotomously (ie, presence or absence of residual tumor in the surgical specimen). Complementary, a continuous scale assessment was used (the breast response index [BRI], representing the relative change in tumor stage). Multivariate regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic analysis were employed to establish significant associations. Results Residual tumor...