Breast-lesion assessment using amide proton transfer-weighted imaging and dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging

Abstract

Abstract Background Previous studies have indicated that amide proton transfer-weighted imaging (APTWI) could be utilized for differentiating benign and malignant tumors. The APTWI technology has increasingly being applied to breast tumor research in recent years. However, according to the latest literature retrieval, no relevant previous studies compared the value of APTWI and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging in distinguishing benign lesions from malignant lesions. In the present study, the application of APTWI and DCE for differentiating the benign and malignant breast lesions was investigated. Methods APTWI was performed on 40 patients (42 lesions) who were enrolled in this prospective study. The lesions were split into two groups, one with malignant breast lesions (n = 28) and the other with benign breast lesions (n = 14), based on the results of the histology. The measured image characteristics (APT value, ADC value, and time-of-intensity-curve type) were compared between the two groups, and the ROC curve was used to quantify the diagnostic performance on the basis of these factors. The correlation between the APT values and the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, and Ki-67 expression levels and histological grades was examined using Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Results The measured APT and ADC values showed a strong inter-observer agreement according to the intraclass correlation coefficients (0.954 and 0.825). Compared to benign lesions, malignant lesions had significantly higher APT values (3.18 ± 1.07 and 2.01 ± 0.51, p < 0.001). Based on APTWI, DCE, DWI, and ADC + APTWI, ADC + DCE, and DCE + APTWI, the area-under-the-curve values were 0.915, 0.815, 0.878, 0.921, 0.916, and 0.936, respectively. Conclusions APTWI is a potentially promising method in differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions, and may it become a great substitute for DCE examination in the future.