Current and Emerging Magnetic Resonance-Based Techniques for Breast Cancer

Frontiers in Medicine

article

Apekshya Chhetri¹  Xin Li¹  Joseph V. Rispoli¹ 

[1] Magnetic Resonance Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, United States;Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, United States;Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, United States;School of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Purdue University, United States

关键词: breast cancer;    magnetic resonance;    MRI;    diffusion;    spectroscopy;    contrast;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmed.2020.00175

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide, and early detection remains a principal factor for improved patient outcomes and reduced mortality. Clinically, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques are routinely used in determining benign and malignant tumor phenotypes and for monitoring treatment outcomes. Static MRI techniques enable superior structural contrast between adipose and fibroglandular tissues, while dynamic MRI techniques can elucidate functional characteristics of malignant tumors. The preferred clinical procedure—dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI—illuminates the hypervascularity of breast tumors through a gadolinium-based contrast agent; however, accumulation of the potentially toxic contrast agent remains a major limitation of the technique, propelling MRI research toward finding an alternative, noninvasive method. Three such techniques are magnetic resonance spectroscopy, chemical exchange saturation transfer, and non-contrast diffusion weighted imaging. These methods shed light on underlying chemical composition, provide snapshots of tissue metabolism, and more pronouncedly characterize microstructural heterogeneity. This review article outlines the present state of clinical MRI for breast cancer and examines several research techniques that demonstrate capacity for clinical translation. Ultimately, multi-parametric MRI—incorporating one or more of these emerging methods—presently holds the best potential to afford improved specificity and deliver excellent accuracy to clinics for the prediction, detection, and monitoring of breast cancer.

【 授权许可】

CC BY