High resolution in vivo characterization of apparent diffusion coefficient at the tumor-stromal boundary of breast carcinomas: A pilot study to assess treatment response using proximity-dependent diffusion-weighted imaging.
McLaughlin, Rebekah L. MPhil 1,2; Newitt, David C. PhD 2; Wilmes, Lisa J. PhD 2; Jones, Ella F. PhD 2; Wisner, Dorota J. MD, PhD 2; Kornak, John PhD 3; Proctor, Evelyn BS 2; Joe, Bonnie N. MD, PhD 2; Hylton, Nola M. PhD 1,2
[Article] Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging. 39(5):1308-1313, May 2014.

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Purpose: To evaluate diffusion changes in the breast tumor-stromal boundary and adjacent tissue in response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy using high resolution diffusion-weighted imaging (HR-DWI).

Materials and Methods: Seven patients with invasive breast cancer were imaged with HR-DWI before and early during treatment. The mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was plotted in 1-mm increments around the tumor boundary. Early change in ADC was measured for tumor, tumor boundary, and stromal regions, and the relationship to treatment response was evaluated using Spearman's correlation.

Results: Statistically significant correlations between treatment response and early changes in ADC were found for: (i) whole tumor ([rho] = 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] = (0.58, 0.99), P = 0.003); (ii) tumor rim ([rho] = 0.75, 95% CI = (-0.007, 0.96), P = 0.05); and (iii) boundary transition region ([rho] = 0.86, 95% CI = (0.29, 0.98), P = 0.01). Early change in ADC of distal stroma had a marginally statistically significant positive correlation to treatment response ([rho] = 0.71, 95% CI = (-0.084, 0.95), P = 0.07).

Conclusion: Proximity-dependent evaluation of HR-DWI data in the breast tumor-stromal boundary and adjacent tissue may provide information about response to therapy. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2014;39:1308-1313. (C) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

(C) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd