Assessing the role of ultrasound in predicting the biological behavior of breast cancer

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this article is to correlate various ultrasound features of breast cancer with tumor grade, and with estrogen, progesterone, and ERRB2 (formerly HER2) receptor status as well as to assess the predictive value of these features.

Materials and methods: The features of breast cancers found by using ultrasound between January 2010 and June 2011 were reviewed for tumor size, margins, and posterior acoustic features. The tumor margins were classified into spiculated, angular, indistinct, lobulated or microlobulated, and circumscribed. The posterior acoustic features were classified into shadowing, enhancement, mixed pattern, and no change. The individual features were correlated with the estrogen receptor (ER)-progesterone receptor (PR) and ERRB2 receptor status and tumor grade.

Results: Among 160 patients with breast cancer, 102 (63.8%) were ER-positive/PR-positive, 32 (20.0%) were ER-positive/PR-negative, and 26 (16.3%) were ER-negative/PR-negative (22 were triple-negative). Tumors with posterior shadowing have greater than nine times the odds of having ER-positive findings (95% CI, 2.09-40.81; p = 0.011) and greater than 13 times the odds of having a lower-grade tumor (I or II vs III; 95% CI, 4.90-36.54; p < 0.001) than those without posterior shadowing. Tumors with posterior enhancement have greater than eight times the odds of having at least one negative receptor (95% CI, 3.97-18.11; p < 0.001) and 24 times the odds of having a high-grade tumor (95% CI, 9.91-58.14; p < 0.001) than those without posterior enhancement.

Conclusion: The presence of posterior shadowing is strongly associated with an ER-positive and low-grade tumor, whereas the presence of posterior enhancement is strongly associated with a high-grade tumor and with moderate risk of being receptor negative.