Compositional Three-Component Breast Imaging of Fibroadenoma and Invasive Cancer Lesions: Pilot Study

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the lesion discrimination ability of compositional 3-component breast imaging technique (3CB) of patients with suspicious breast lesions (BIRADS 4 or greater).

Materials and Methods: A novel dual-energy 3CB imaging technique concludes in quantifying of the lipid, protein, and water thicknesses. The protocol was designed to be performed on a standard full-field digital mammography system by imaging additional high-energy image using a 3-mm Al filter. A pilot study of 43 abnormal breast findings on diagnostic mammography was performed using the 3CB protocol. The lesion groups include fibroadenoma (FA), invasive (IDC), DCIS and benign tissues. The lesions were delineated by the radiologist on CC and MLO views, and the compositional measures of the whole breasts, local areas within lesions and their peripheries were derived. Univariate logistic regression statistics was applied to analyze lesion different group separation. The variable statistical significance of MLO, CC views and their average was also compared.

Results: We found for FA/rest group discrimination that water and lipid difference between lesion and periphery are significant for CC and MLO views. In addition, the breast fibroglandular dense volume are also significant for both views. Lesion to background water difference predicted FA with an odds ratio = 4.4 , ROC area of 0.8. For cancer/non cancer groups there were no variables showing the significance for both views. However, for IDC/rest groups lipid thicknesses within breast and at the periphery normalized by total thicknesses become significant for both views.

Conclusion: Our pilot set data demonstrates that the technique provides biologically meaningful compositional components of lesion, its periphery and breast which are statistically significant for FA/rest and invasive cancers/rest group separation.