Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Breast Cancer: A Literature Review and Future Perspectives

Overview

Journal World J Clin Oncol

Publisher Baishideng Publishing Group

Specialty Oncology

Date 2014 May 16

PMID 24829852

Citations 51

Authors

Gisela Lg Menezes

Floor M Knuttel

Bertine L Stehouwer

Ruud M Pijnappel

Maurice Aaj van den Bosch

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer are essential for successful treatment. Currently mammography and ultrasound are the basic imaging techniques for the detection and localization of breast tumors. The low sensitivity and specificity of these imaging tools resulted in a demand for new imaging modalities and breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become increasingly important in the detection and delineation of breast cancer in daily practice. However, the clinical benefits of the use of pre-operative MRI in women with newly diagnosed breast cancer is still a matter of debate. The main additional diagnostic value of MRI relies on specific situations such as detecting multifocal, multicentric or contralateral disease unrecognized on conventional assessment (particularly in patients diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma), assessing the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, detection of cancer in dense breast tissue, recognition of an occult primary breast cancer in patients presenting with cancer metastasis in axillary lymph nodes, among others. Nevertheless, the development of new MRI technologies such as diffusion-weighted imaging, proton spectroscopy and higher field strength 7.0 T imaging offer a new perspective in providing additional information in breast abnormalities. We conducted an expert literature review on the value of breast MRI in diagnosing and staging breast cancer, as well as the future potentials of new MRI technologies.

Citing Articles

Validation of subpixel target detection and linear spectral unmixing techniques on short-wave infrared hyperspectral images of collagen phantoms.

Chen H, Wang H, Sung C, Hsu Y, Sheen Y J Biomed Opt. 2025; 30(2):023518.

PMID: 40008292 PMC: 11853843. DOI: 10.1117/1.JBO.30.2.023518.

Employing Raman Spectroscopy and Machine Learning for the Identification of Breast Cancer.

Zhang Y, Li Z, Li Z, Wang H, Regmi D, Zhang J Biol Proced Online. 2024; 26(1):28.

PMID: 39266953 PMC: 11396685. DOI: 10.1186/s12575-024-00255-0.

Comparative Effectiveness of Mammography, Ultrasound, and MRI in the Detection of Breast Carcinoma in Dense Breast Tissue: A Systematic Review.

Abu Abeelh E, AbuAbeileh Z Cureus. 2024; 16(4):e59054.

PMID: 38800325 PMC: 11128098. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.59054.

Evaluation of Features in Probably Benign and Malignant Nonmass Enhancement in Breast MRI.

Ahmadinejad N, Azizinik F, Khosravi P, Torabi A, Mohajeri A, Arian A Int J Breast Cancer. 2024; 2024:6661849.

PMID: 38523651 PMC: 10959584. DOI: 10.1155/2024/6661849.

Extracellular matrix in cancer progression and therapy.

He X, Lee B, Jiang Y Med Rev (2021). 2023; 2(2):125-139.

PMID: 37724245 PMC: 10471113. DOI: 10.1515/mr-2021-0028.

References

Bolan P . Magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the breast: current status. Magn Reson Imaging Clin N Am. 2013; 21(3):625-39. DOI: 10.1016/j.mric.2013.04.008. View

Marini C, Iacconi C, Giannelli M, Cilotti A, Moretti M, Bartolozzi C . Quantitative diffusion-weighted MR imaging in the differential diagnosis of breast lesion. Eur Radiol. 2007; 17(10):2646-55. DOI: 10.1007/s00330-007-0621-2. View

Harms S, Flamig D, Hesley K, Meiches M, Jensen R, Evans W . MR imaging of the breast with rotating delivery of excitation off resonance: clinical experience with pathologic correlation. Radiology. 1993; 187(2):493-501. DOI: 10.1148/radiology.187.2.8475297. View

Mendelson E . Evaluation of the postoperative breast. Radiol Clin North Am. 1992; 30(1):107-38. View

Schelfout K, Van Goethem M, Kersschot E, Verslegers I, Biltjes I, Leyman P . Preoperative breast MRI in patients with invasive lobular breast cancer. Eur Radiol. 2004; 14(7):1209-16. DOI: 10.1007/s00330-004-2275-7. View

Tsougos I, Svolos P, Kousi E, Athanassiou E, Theodorou K, Arvanitis D . The contribution of diffusion tensor imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy for the differentiation of breast lesions at 3T. Acta Radiol. 2013; 55(1):14-23. DOI: 10.1177/0284185113492152. View

Mountford C, Stanwell P, Lin A, Ramadan S, Ross B . Neurospectroscopy: the past, present and future. Chem Rev. 2010; 110(5):3060-86. DOI: 10.1021/cr900250y. View

Park S, Moon W, Cho N, Song I, Chang J, Park I . Diffusion-weighted MR imaging: pretreatment prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer. Radiology. 2010; 257(1):56-63. DOI: 10.1148/radiol.10092021. View

Leach M, Boggis C, Dixon A, Easton D, Eeles R, Evans D . Screening with magnetic resonance imaging and mammography of a UK population at high familial risk of breast cancer: a prospective multicentre cohort study (MARIBS). Lancet. 2005; 365(9473):1769-78. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)66481-1. View

10.

Meisamy S, Bolan P, Baker E, Bliss R, Gulbahce E, Everson L . Neoadjuvant chemotherapy of locally advanced breast cancer: predicting response with in vivo (1)H MR spectroscopy--a pilot study at 4 T. Radiology. 2004; 233(2):424-31. DOI: 10.1148/radiol.2332031285. View

11.

Kim S, Cha E, Park C, Kang B, Whang I, Lee A . Imaging features of invasive lobular carcinoma: comparison with invasive ductal carcinoma. Jpn J Radiol. 2011; 29(7):475-82. DOI: 10.1007/s11604-011-0584-8. View

12.

Haddadin I, McIntosh A, Meisamy S, Corum C, Styczynski Snyder A, Powell N . Metabolite quantification and high-field MRS in breast cancer. NMR Biomed. 2007; 22(1):65-76. PMC: 2628417. DOI: 10.1002/nbm.1217. View

13.

Stehouwer B, Klomp D, van den Bosch M, Korteweg M, Gilhuijs K, Witkamp A . Dynamic contrast-enhanced and ultra-high-resolution breast MRI at 7.0 Tesla. Eur Radiol. 2013; 23(11):2961-8. DOI: 10.1007/s00330-013-2985-9. View

14.

Boetes C, Strijk S, Holland R, Barentsz J, van der Sluis R, Ruijs J . False-negative MR imaging of malignant breast tumors. Eur Radiol. 1997; 7(8):1231-4. DOI: 10.1007/s003300050281. View

15.

Hlawatsch A, Teifke A, Schmidt M, Thelen M . Preoperative assessment of breast cancer: sonography versus MR imaging. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2002; 179(6):1493-501. DOI: 10.2214/ajr.179.6.1791493. View

16.

Pickles M, Gibbs P, Lowry M, Turnbull L . Diffusion changes precede size reduction in neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer. Magn Reson Imaging. 2006; 24(7):843-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2005.11.005. View

17.

Lehman C . Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) of the breast: ready for clinical practice?. Eur J Radiol. 2012; 81 Suppl 1:S80-1. DOI: 10.1016/S0720-048X(12)70032-3. View

18.

Orel S, SCHNALL M . MR imaging of the breast for the detection, diagnosis, and staging of breast cancer. Radiology. 2001; 220(1):13-30. DOI: 10.1148/radiology.220.1.r01jl3113. View

19.

Kriege M, Brekelmans C, Boetes C, Besnard P, Zonderland H, Obdeijn I . Efficacy of MRI and mammography for breast-cancer screening in women with a familial or genetic predisposition. N Engl J Med. 2004; 351(5):427-37. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa031759. View

20.

Amano G, Ohuchi N, Ishibashi T, Ishida T, Amari M, Satomi S . Correlation of three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging with precise histopathological map concerning carcinoma extension in the breast. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2000; 60(1):43-55. DOI: 10.1023/a:1006342711426. View