MRI Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about MRI, including details on magnetic resonance imaging, neuroimaging, brain tumors.

Influence of post-treatment delay on the evaluation of the response to focused ultrasound surgery of breast cancer by dynamic contrast enhanced MRI.

Khiat A, Gianfelice D, Amara M, Boulanger Y

Département de Radiologie, Hôpital Saint-Luc du CHUM, 1058 St-Denis, Montreal, Quebec, H2X 3J4 Canada.

The assessment of the effectiveness of MRI-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRIgFUS) of breast carcinomas can be performed by dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) parameters which monitor the presence of residual tumour. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the post-treatment delay on this assessment. DCE-MRI data were acquired immediately and 3-14 days after MRIgFUS treatment of 26 tumours (<7 days, n = 6; = or > ge;7 days, n = 20). The percentage of residual tumour was determined histologically on the resected mass and correlated with two DCE-MRI parameters: increase in signal intensity (ISI) and positive enhancement integral (PEI). No correlation could be found between DCE-MRI data acquired immediately after treatment and the percentage of residual tumour. Good correlation coefficients were found for data acquired several days after treatment (ISI, r = 0.749; PEI, r = 0.778). However, they were higher when the post-treatment time interval was 7 days or more (ISI, r = 0.962; PEI, r = 0.934). These results suggest that a post-treatment delay of 7 days is necessary for the accurate assessment of the presence of residual tumour by DCE-MRI parameters.

Published 4 April 2006 in Br J Radiol, 79(940): 308-14.
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