Ultrafast Dynamic Contrast-enhanced MRI of the Breast: How Is It Used?

Overview

Journal Magn Reson Med Sci

Specialty Radiology

Date 2022 Mar 1

PMID 35228489

Authors

Masako Kataoka

Maya Honda

Akane Ohashi

Ken Yamaguchi

Naoko Mori

Mariko Goto

Tomoyuki Fujioka

Mio Mori

Yutaka Kato

Hiroko Satake

Mami Iima

Kazunori Kubota

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Ultrafast dynamic contrast-enhanced (UF-DCE) MRI is a new approach to capture kinetic information in the very early post-contrast period with high temporal resolution while keeping reasonable spatial resolution. The detailed timing and shape of the upslope in the time-intensity curve are analyzed. New kinetic parameters obtained from UF-DCE MRI are useful in differentiating malignant from benign lesions and in evaluating prognostic markers of the breast cancers. Clinically, UF-DCE MRI contributes in identifying hypervascular lesions when the background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) is marked on conventional dynamic MRI. This review starts with the technical aspect of accelerated acquisition. Practical aspects of UF-DCE MRI include identification of target hypervascular lesions from marked BPE and diagnosis of malignant and benign lesions based on new kinetic parameters derived from UF-DCE MRI: maximum slope (MS), time to enhance (TTE), bolus arrival time (BAT), time interval between arterial and venous visualization (AVI), and empirical mathematical model (EMM). The parameters derived from UF-DCE MRI are compared in terms of their diagnostic performance and association with prognostic markers. Pitfalls of UF-DCE MRI in the clinical situation are also covered. Since UF-DCE MRI is an evolving technique, future prospects of UF-DCE MRI are discussed in detail by citing recent evidence. The topic covers prediction of treatment response, multiparametric approach using DWI-derived parameters, evaluation of tumor-related vessels, and application of artificial intelligence for UF-DCE MRI. Along with comprehensive literature review, illustrative clinical cases are used to understand the value of UF-DCE MRI.

Citing Articles

Analysis of the diagnostic efficacy of ultrasound, MRI, and combined examination in benign and malignant breast tumors.

Ma D, Wang C, Li J, Hao X, Zhu Y, Gao Z Front Oncol. 2025; 15:1494862.

PMID: 39949747 PMC: 11821579. DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1494862.

The kinetic parameters of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI with ultrafast imaging in breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy: Prediction of pathologic complete response and correlation with histologic microvessel density.

Choi S, Park A, Kim G, Jung H, Ko K, Kim Y Medicine (Baltimore). 2025; 104(5):e40239.

PMID: 39889156 PMC: 11789864. DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000040239.

Superior performance in classification of breast cancer molecular subtype and histological factors by radiomics based on ultrafast MRI over standard MRI: evidence from a prospective study.

Jeong J, Ham S, Seo B, Lee J, Wang S, Bae M Radiol Med. 2025; 130(3):368-380.

PMID: 39862364 PMC: 11903601. DOI: 10.1007/s11547-025-01956-6.

Relationship between kinetic parameters of ultrafast dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in breast cancer.

Yamaguchi K, Nakazono T, Egashira R, Fukui S, Imaizumi T, Maruyama K Jpn J Radiol. 2024; 43(1):43-50.

PMID: 39186213 PMC: 11717854. DOI: 10.1007/s11604-024-01645-w.

Preoperative prediction of extensive intraductal component in invasive breast cancer based on intra- and peri-tumoral heterogeneity in high-resolution ultrafast DCE-MRI.

Luo H, Zhao S, Yang W, Chen Z, Li Y, Zhou P Sci Rep. 2024; 14(1):17396.

PMID: 39075278 PMC: 11286762. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-68601-6.

References

Kuhl C, Schrading S, Strobel K, Schild H, Hilgers R, Bieling H . Abbreviated breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): first postcontrast subtracted images and maximum-intensity projection-a novel approach to breast cancer screening with MRI. J Clin Oncol. 2014; 32(22):2304-10. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2013.52.5386. View

Honda M, Kataoka M, Onishi N, Iima M, Ohashi A, Kanao S . New parameters of ultrafast dynamic contrast-enhanced breast MRI using compressed sensing. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2019; 51(1):164-174. DOI: 10.1002/jmri.26838. View

Cuenod C, Balvay D . Perfusion and vascular permeability: basic concepts and measurement in DCE-CT and DCE-MRI. Diagn Interv Imaging. 2013; 94(12):1187-204. DOI: 10.1016/j.diii.2013.10.010. View

Mori N, Abe H, Mugikura S, Miyashita M, Mori Y, Oguma Y . Discriminating low-grade ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) from non-low-grade DCIS or DCIS upgraded to invasive carcinoma: effective texture features on ultrafast dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Breast Cancer. 2021; 28(5):1141-1153. DOI: 10.1007/s12282-021-01257-6. View

Sheth D, Giger M . Artificial intelligence in the interpretation of breast cancer on MRI. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2019; 51(5):1310-1324. DOI: 10.1002/jmri.26878. View

Aghaei F, Tan M, Hollingsworth A, Zheng B . Applying a new quantitative global breast MRI feature analysis scheme to assess tumor response to chemotherapy. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2016; 44(5):1099-1106. PMC: 5061590. DOI: 10.1002/jmri.25276. View

Ohashi A, Kataoka M, Iima M, Kanao S, Honda M, Urushibata Y . A multiparametric approach to diagnosing breast lesions using diffusion-weighted imaging and ultrafast dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. Magn Reson Imaging. 2020; 71:154-160. DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2020.04.008. View

Honda M, Kataoka M, Iima M, Miyake K, Ohashi A, Kishimoto A . Background parenchymal enhancement and its effect on lesion detectability in ultrafast dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. Eur J Radiol. 2020; 129:108984. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2020.108984. View

Abe H, Mori N, Tsuchiya K, Schacht D, Pineda F, Jiang Y . Kinetic Analysis of Benign and Malignant Breast Lesions With Ultrafast Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI: Comparison With Standard Kinetic Assessment. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2016; 207(5):1159-1166. PMC: 6535046. DOI: 10.2214/AJR.15.15957. View

10.

Kul S, Cansu A, Alhan E, Dinc H, Reis A, Can G . Contrast-enhanced MR angiography of the breast: Evaluation of ipsilateral increased vascularity and adjacent vessel sign in the characterization of breast lesions. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2010; 195(5):1250-4. DOI: 10.2214/AJR.10.4368. View

11.

Reig B, Heacock L, Geras K, Moy L . Machine learning in breast MRI. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2019; 52(4):998-1018. PMC: 7085409. DOI: 10.1002/jmri.26852. View

12.

Cover K, Duvivier K, de Graaf P, Wittenberg R, Smit R, Kuijer J . Summarizing the 4D image stack of ultrafast dynamic contrast enhancement MRI of breast cancer in 3D using color intensity projections. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2018; 49(5):1391-1399. DOI: 10.1002/jmri.26521. View

13.

Onishi N, Kataoka M, Kanao S, Sagawa H, Iima M, Nickel M . Ultrafast dynamic contrast-enhanced mri of the breast using compressed sensing: breast cancer diagnosis based on separate visualization of breast arteries and veins. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2017; 47(1):97-104. DOI: 10.1002/jmri.25747. View

14.

Ohashi A, Kataoka M, Kanao S, Iima M, Murata K, Weiland E . Diagnostic performance of maximum slope: A kinetic parameter obtained from ultrafast dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the breast using k-space weighted image contrast (KWIC). Eur J Radiol. 2019; 118:285-292. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2019.06.012. View

15.

Dalmis M, Gubern-Merida A, Vreemann S, Bult P, Karssemeijer N, Mann R . Artificial Intelligence-Based Classification of Breast Lesions Imaged With a Multiparametric Breast MRI Protocol With Ultrafast DCE-MRI, T2, and DWI. Invest Radiol. 2019; 54(6):325-332. DOI: 10.1097/RLI.0000000000000544. View

16.

Lustig M, Donoho D, Pauly J . Sparse MRI: The application of compressed sensing for rapid MR imaging. Magn Reson Med. 2007; 58(6):1182-95. DOI: 10.1002/mrm.21391. View

17.

Saranathan M, Rettmann D, Hargreaves B, Clarke S, Vasanawala S . DIfferential Subsampling with Cartesian Ordering (DISCO): a high spatio-temporal resolution Dixon imaging sequence for multiphasic contrast enhanced abdominal imaging. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2012; 35(6):1484-92. PMC: 3354015. DOI: 10.1002/jmri.23602. View

18.

Runge V, Richter J, Heverhagen J . Speed in Clinical Magnetic Resonance. Invest Radiol. 2016; 52(1):1-17. DOI: 10.1097/RLI.0000000000000330. View

19.

Onishi N, Sadinski M, Hughes M, Ko E, Gibbs P, Gallagher K . Ultrafast dynamic contrast-enhanced breast MRI may generate prognostic imaging markers of breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res. 2020; 22(1):58. PMC: 7254650. DOI: 10.1186/s13058-020-01292-9. View

20.

Mann R, Mus R, van Zelst J, Geppert C, Karssemeijer N, Platel B . A novel approach to contrast-enhanced breast magnetic resonance imaging for screening: high-resolution ultrafast dynamic imaging. Invest Radiol. 2014; 49(9):579-85. DOI: 10.1097/RLI.0000000000000057. View