Work

Menstrual cycle variation of apparent diffusion coefficients measured in the normal breast using MRI

Year: 2001

Type: article

Abstract: Recent investigations have shown that tumors may be distinguished from benign lesions in the breast based on differences in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. The goal of this study was to assess the magnitude of normal variations in the measured ADC of breast parenchyma during the menstrual cycle. Eight healthy female subjects were scanned once a week for 4 weeks, using a diffusion-weighted single-shot fast spin-echo (DW-SSFSE) sequence. The ADC of breast fibroglandular tissue was calculated for each woman at each time point. Results showed a trend of decreased ADC during the second week of the cycle, and increased ADC during the final week. However, no significant influence of menstrual cycle on breast ADC values was identified. The results of this study show that the normal fluctuation of breast ADC is relatively small, and the coefficient of variation was determined to be 5.5% for our group of volunteers during a menstrual cycle. Nonetheless, breast diffusion measurements for tumor differentiation and evaluation of treatment response should be interpreted with consideration of normal variability.

Source: Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging

DOI: 10.1002/jmri.1204

Authors: Savannah C. Partridge, Graeme C. McKinnon, Roland G. Henry, Nola M. Hylton

Institution: University of California, San Francisco

Language: English

Topic: MRI in cancer diagnosis

Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: U.S. Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute