Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jan 26;11(3):617.
doi: 10.3390/jcm11030617.

Functional Network Connectivity Reveals the Brain Functional Alterations in Breast Cancer Survivors

Tatyana Bukkieva  1 , Maria Pospelova  1 , Aleksandr Efimtsev  1 , Olga Fionik  1 , Tatyana Alekseeva  1 , Konstantin Samochernych  1 , Elena Gorbunova  1 , Varvara Krasnikova  1 , Albina Makhanova  1 , Anatoliy Levchuk  1 , Gennadiy Trufanov  1 , Stephanie Combs  2 , Maxim Shevtsov  1   2   3
Affiliations

Functional Network Connectivity Reveals the Brain Functional Alterations in Breast Cancer Survivors

Tatyana Bukkieva et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Different neurological and psychiatric disorders such as vertebrobasilar insufficiency, chronic pain syndrome, anxiety, and depression are observed in more than 90% of patients after treatment for breast cancer and may cause alterations in the functional connectivity of the default mode network. The purpose of the present study is to assess changes in the functional connectivity of the default mode network in patients after breast cancer treatment using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Rs-fMRI was performed using a 3.0T MR-scanner on patients (N = 46, women) with neurological disorders (chronic pain, dizziness, headaches, and/or tinnitus) in the late postoperative period (>12 months) after Patey radical mastectomy for breast cancer. According to the intergroup statistical analysis, there were differences in the functional connectivity of the default mode network in all 46 patients after breast cancer treatment compared to the control group (p < 0.01). The use of rs-fMRI in in breast cancer survivors allowed us to identify changes in the functional connectivity in the brain caused by neurological disorders, which correlated with a decreased quality of life in these patients. The results indicate the necessity to improve treatment and rehabilitation methods in this group of patients.

Keywords: breast cancer; breast cancer treatment; connectome; default mode network; functional MRI; post-mastectomy pain syndrome.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Three-dimensional reconstruction of the functional connections between the MPFC and various areas of the brain in a group of patients after breast cancer treatment using seed-based analysis. Positive functional connections between the MPFC and the zones of interest are indicated in red, and negative ones are indicated in blue.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Three-dimensional reconstruction of the functional connections between the MPFC and various areas of the brain in a group of patients after breast cancer treatment with the presence of lymphedema using seed-based analysis. Positive functional connections between the MPFC and the zones of interest are indicated in red, and negative ones are indicated in blue.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Three-dimensional reconstruction of the functional connections between the MPFC and various areas of the brain in a group of patients with postmastectomy pain syndrome using seed-based analysis. Positive functional connections between the MPFC and the zones of interest are indicated in red, and negative ones are indicated in blue.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Three-dimensional reconstruction of the set of functional connections between the MPFC and various brain areas of patients after breast cancer treatment with the presence of vestibulocerebellar ataxia using seed-based analysis. The positive functional connections between the MPFC and the zones of interest are indicated in red, and the negative ones are indicated in blue.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Three-dimensional reconstruction of the set of functional connections between the MPFC and various brain areas of patients with the presence of depression after breast cancer treatment using seed-based analysis. Positive functional connections between the MPFC and the zones of interest are indicated in red, and negative ones are indicated in blue.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Sung H., Ferlay J., Siegel R.L., Laversanne M., Soerjomataram I., Jemal A., Bray F. Global cancer statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J. Clin. 2021;71:209–249. doi: 10.3322/caac.21660. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Shirokova I., Yu E. Breast cancer: The view of the Remedium experts. J. Russ. Market Med. Med. Equipment. 2016;10:53–58.
    1. Fakhari S., Atashkhoei S., Pourfathi H., Farzin H., Bilehjani E. Postmastectomy pain syndrome. Int. J. Women’s Health Reprod. Sci. 2017;5:18–23. doi: 10.15296/ijwhr.2017.04. - DOI
    1. Tishakova V.E., Filonenko E.V., Chissov V.I., Efimenko N.A., Urlova A.N. Physical methods of rehabilitation in cancer patients after combined modality treatment for breast cancer. Biomed. Photon. 2017;6:28–37. doi: 10.24931/2413-9432-2017-6-1-28-37. - DOI
    1. Obmanov I.V., Yarygin M.L., Shmyrev V.I., Yarygin L.M. Neurological disorders in patients with breast cancer after surgical treatment. J. Neurol. Psychiatry. 2015;115:42–44. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources