Quantitative ultrasonic evaluation of radiation-induced late tissue toxicity: pilot study of breast cancer radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: To investigate the use of advanced ultrasonic imaging to quantitatively evaluate normal-tissue toxicity in breast-cancer radiation treatment. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Eighteen breast cancer patients who received radiation treatment were enrolled in an institutional review board-approved clinical study. Radiotherapy involved a radiation dose of 50.0 to 50.4 Gy delivered to the entire breast, followed by an electron boost of 10.0 to 16.0 Gy delivered to the tumor bed. Patients underwent scanning with ultrasound during follow-up, which ranged from 6 to 94 months (median, 22 months) postradiotherapy. Conventional ultrasound images and radio-frequency (RF) echo signals were acquired from treated and untreated breasts. Three ultrasound parameters, namely, skin thickness, Pearson coefficient, and spectral midband fit, were computed from RF signals to measure radiation-induced changes in dermis, hypodermis, and subcutaneous tissue, respectively. Ultrasound parameter values of the treated breast were compared with those of the untreated breast. Ultrasound findings were compared with clinical assessment using Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) late-toxicity scores. RESULTS: Significant changes were observed in ultrasonic parameter values of the treated vs. untreated breasts. Average skin thickness increased by 27.3%, from 2.05 ± 0.22 mm to 2.61 ± 0.52 mm; Pearson coefficient decreased by 31.7%, from 0.41 ± 0.07 to 0.28 ± 0.05; and midband fit increased by 94.6%, from -0.92 ± 7.35 dB to 0.87 ± 6.70 dB. Ultrasound evaluations were consistent with RTOG scores. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative ultrasound provides a noninvasive, objective means of assessing radiation-induced changes to the skin and subcutaneous tissue. This imaging tool will become increasingly valuable as we continue to improve radiation therapy technique.

Implementation and validation of an ultrasonic tissue characterization technique for quantitative assessment of normal-tissue toxicity in radiation therapy.

The goal of this study was to implement and validate a noninvasive, quantitative ultrasonic technique for accurate and reproducible measurement of normal-tissue toxicity in radiation therapy. The authors adapted an existing ultrasonic tissue characterization (UTC) technique that used a calibrated 1D spectrum based on region-of-interest analysis. They modified the calibration procedure by using a reference phantom instead of a planar reflector. This UTC method utilized ultrasonic radiofrequency echo signals to generate spectral parameters related to the physical properties (e.g., size, shape, and relative acoustic impedance) of tissue microstructures. Three spectral parameters were investigated for quantification of normal-tissue injury: Spectral slope, intercept, and midband fit. They conducted a tissue-mimicking phantom study to verify the reproducibility of UTC measurements and initiated a clinical study of radiation-induced breast-tissue toxicity. Spectral parameter values from measurements on two phantoms were reproducible within 1% of each other. Eleven postradiation breast-cancer patients were studied and significant differences between the irradiated and untreated (contralateral) breasts were observed for spectral intercept (p = 0.003) and midband fit (p < 0.001) but not for slope (p = 0.14). In comparison to the untreated breast, the average difference in the spectral intercept was 2.99 +/- 0.75 dB and the average difference in the midband fit was 3.99 +/- 0.65 dB. The preliminary clinical study demonstrated the feasibility of using the quantitative ultrasonic method to evaluate normal-tissue toxicity in radiation therapy.

T-Cell lymphoblastic lymphoma presenting as bilateral multinodular breast masses: a case report and review of the literature.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma of T-cell lineage involving the breast is rare. We report on a 41-year-old woman with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma who presented with multiple bilateral breast masses. The patient was treated with intensive chemotherapy and mediastinal and whole-brain irradiation. She remains in complete remission 24 months after diagnosis. The clinical, histologic, phenotypic, and cytogenetic features are described, with a review of the literature.

Relationship between mammographic breast density and tamoxifen in women with breast cancer.

Previous studies have reported that tamoxifen use is associated with a decrease in mammographic breast density. This is a potentially valuable finding since mammographic sensitivity is limited by breast density. Anything that reduces breast density would theoretically enhance the sensitivity of mammography for the detection of breast cancer in women at an earlier stage when it is more curable. We performed a retrospective study investigating the potential effect of tamoxifen on breast density. The data for this retrospective study were collected from the records of 52 charts from a single medical oncologist. Patients with breast cancer were selected regardless of stage or age at the time of diagnosis or treatment, as long as their charts had records of bilateral mammograms. For each breast on each woman, both mediolateral oblique and craniocaudal views were reviewed independently by two radiologists on two separate occasions to obtain inter- and intraobserver variability. Two methods of classifying breast density were used: the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS), and measurements of percent density. Only age and menopausal status were found to be associated with breast density. There was no correlation between breast density and tamoxifen use (past or present). Our study shows no association between tamoxifen use and breast density. We confirm previous observations that breast density is inversely correlated with age and postmenopausal status.

Core needle biopsy as a diagnostic tool to differentiate phyllodes tumor from fibroadenoma.

HYPOTHESIS: Core needle biopsy is a useful diagnostic tool in differentiating phyllodes tumor from fibroadenoma. DESIGN: The radiology database was queried for patients who underwent core needle biopsies of fibroepithelial lesions that raised the possibility of phyllodes tumor. These diagnoses were then compared with the final pathological diagnoses after surgical excision. SETTING: The data were gathered from the Comprehensive Breast Center, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, a tertiary care, university-based medical center. RESULTS: From August 21, 1998, to December 14, 2001, 57 core needle biopsies were identified in which the specimen raised the possibility of phyllodes tumor. The median age of the patients was 42 years (range, 16-77 years). The median diameter of all lesions was 1.1 cm (range, 0.6-3.6 cm). Of the 57 specimens, 25 had core biopsies in which the pathological findings favored a diagnosis of fibroadenoma over phyllodes tumor. Twenty-three had initial core biopsies favoring phyllodes tumor. Nine of the core biopsies were equivocal. Of the 25 patients with specimens favoring fibroadenoma, excisional biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of fibroadenoma in 23, and phyllodes tumor was found in 2. The negative predictive value was 93%. Of the 23 core biopsies favoring phyllodes tumor, 19 were confirmed on excisional biopsy, while 4 were fibroadenoma. The positive predictive value was 83%. In the equivocal core biopsies, 5 were fibroadenoma and 4 were phyllodes tumor on final pathological analysis. None of the lesions studied were determined to be malignant on final analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Core needle biopsy can significantly reduce the need for operative management of fibroepithelial lesions. A core needle biopsy with results favoring fibroadenoma should allow the breast physician to treat the lesion as a fibroadenoma, with observation and close follow-up or with enucleation. Core needle histologic examination of phyllodes tumor allows the physician to preoperatively plan the definitive management at one surgical procedure, reducing the need for reoperations.