<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<sec><h3>Background</h3>
<p>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 (MRI) 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.</p>
</sec>
<sec><h3>Patients and methods</h3>
<p>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, apparent diffusion coefficient [ADC] value, and time-of-intensity-curve [TIC] 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 (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2), and Ki-67 expression levels and histological grades was examined using Spearman's correlation coefficient.</p>
</sec>
<sec><h3>Results</h3>
<p>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 &lt; 0.001). Based on APTWI, DCE, diffusion-weighted imaging (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.</p>
</sec>
<sec><h3>Conclusions</h3>
<p>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.</p>
</sec>
</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 (MRI) 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.

Patients and 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, apparent diffusion coefficient [ADC] value, and time-of-intensity-curve [TIC] 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 (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-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, diffusion-weighted imaging (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.

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

Shantou University, Shantou University Medical College

Radiology and Oncology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Background
Previous studies have indicated that amide proton transfer-weighted imaging (APTWI) could be utilized for differentiating benign and malignant...

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

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Nov 30, 2023

Page range: 446 - 454

Received: May 23, 2023

Accepted: Sep 01, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/raon-2023-0051

Keywords
amide proton transfer, breast lesions, dynamic contrast-enhanced, magnetic resonance imaging

© 2023 Lulu Zhuang et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Nov 30, 2023

Page range: 446 - 454

Received: May 23, 2023

Accepted: Sep 01, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/raon-2023-0051

Keywordsamide proton transfer, breast lesions, dynamic contrast-enhanced, magnetic resonance imaging

© 2023 Lulu Zhuang et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
amide proton transfer, breast lesions, dynamic contrast-enhanced, magnetic resonance imaging