Prediction of prognostic factors of breast cancer with multimodal diffusion MRI

Motivation: Non-invasive evaluation of prognostic risk factors in breast cancer is still challenging using routine medical imaging methods Goal(s): For more accurately in vivo description of diffusion motion and tissue microstructure, intravoxel incoherent motion imaging (IVIM), diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and the IMPULSED MRI methods were introduced for evaluation of breast cancer. Approach: All patients underwent T1-weighted imaging, T2-weighted imaging, conventional DWI, IVIM, DKI, IMPULSED-MRI, and dynamic contrast enhancement scans on a 3T scanner. Results: Quantitative parameters by multimodal diffusion MRI showed significant differences between benign and malignant breast tumors, between subgroups of breast cancer with different prognostic risk factors. Impact: Microstructural mapping with multimodal diffusion MRI demonstrates promise for characterizing breast cancer and helpful for prognostic evaluation.