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. 2010 Jan;28(1):8-15.
doi: 10.1016/j.mri.2009.05.040. Epub 2009 Jul 23.

Magnetic resonance imaging for secondary assessment of breast density in a high-risk cohort

Catherine Klifa  1 , Julio Carballido-Gamio, Lisa Wilmes, Anne Laprie, John Shepherd, Jessica Gibbs, Bo Fan, Susan Noworolski, Nola Hylton
Affiliations

Magnetic resonance imaging for secondary assessment of breast density in a high-risk cohort

Catherine Klifa et al. Magn Reson Imaging. 2010 Jan.

Abstract

A quantitative measure of three-dimensional breast density derived from noncontrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was investigated in 35 women at high-risk for breast cancer. A semiautomatic segmentation tool was used to quantify the total volume of the breast and to separate volumes of fibroglandular and adipose tissue in noncontrast MRI data. The MRI density measure was defined as the ratio of breast fibroglandular volume over total volume of the breast. The overall correlation between MRI and mammographic density measures was R(2)=.67. However the MRI/mammography density correlation was higher in patients with lower breast density (R(2)=.73) than in patients with higher breast density (R(2)=.26). Women with mammographic density higher than 25% exhibited very different magnetic resonance density measures spread over a broad range of values. These results suggest that MRI may provide a volumetric measure more representative of breast composition than mammography, particularly in groups of women with dense breasts. Magnetic resonance imaging density could potentially be quantified and used for a better assessment of breast cancer risk in these populations.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Different breast tissue composition, low to high MR density.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Magnetic resonance density segmentation steps.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Original axial semiautomated delineation of the breast contour.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Extraction of the fibroglandular map in the breast volume.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Difference in breast density measures between 2-D vs. 3-D modality.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Mammographic (black) and MR density (gray) measures for 35 high-risk patients, ordered by increasing mammographic density.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Correlation between mammographic and MR breast density for 35 high-risk patients.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Correlation between mammographic and MR density in high-risk women with low (<20%) vs. high (>20%) MR density measures.
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
Differences between mammographic and MR density among four groups of increasing mammographic density.
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