Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Radiol. Oct 28, 2024; 16(10): 528-536
Published online Oct 28, 2024. doi: 10.4329/wjr.v16.i10.528
Breast cancer imaging-clinical experience with two-dimensional-shear wave elastography: A retrospective study
Lyubomir Chervenkov, Aleksandar Georgiev, Mladen Doykov, Tsvetelina Velikova
Lyubomir Chervenkov, Aleksandar Georgiev, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Medical University Plovdiv, Plovdiv 4000, Bulgaria
Lyubomir Chervenkov, Research Complex for Translational Neuroscience, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv 4002, Bulgaria
Mladen Doykov, Department of Urology and General Medicine, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv 4001, Bulgaria
Tsvetelina Velikova, Department of Medical Faculty, Sofia University St Kliment Ohridski, Sofia 1407, Bulgaria
Author contributions: Georgiev A and Doykov M were responsible for conceptualization, formal analysis, investigation, and resources; Georgiev A was responsible for methodology, software, writing original draft preparation, and visualization; Doykov M was responsible for validation; Doykov M and Velikova T were responsible for supervision; Chervenkov L and Velikova T were responsible for project administration, writing review and editing; Velikova T was responsible for funding acquisition; All authors have read and agreed to the final version of the manuscript.
Supported by The European Union-Next Generation EU, through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Republic of Bulgaria, No. BG-RRP-2.004-0008.
Institutional review board statement: This study was conducted at a Complex Oncology Center in Bulgaria from March 2021 to March 2023. An institutional review board approved the study protocol (Protocol approval No. 16/2021), which complied with the Declaration of Helsinki.
Informed consent statement: All subjects in the study gave their informed consent for inclusion in the study and publication.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Data sharing statement: Available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Lyubomir Chervenkov, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Chief Doctor, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Medical University Plovdiv, Bul Vasil Aprilov 15A, Plovdiv 4000, Bulgaria. lyubo.ch@gmail.com
Received: June 5, 2024
Revised: August 29, 2024
Accepted: September 6, 2024
Published online: October 28, 2024
Processing time: 145 Days and 1.6 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Breast cancer morbidity has been increasing worldwide, but treatments are improving. The therapeutic response depends on the stage at which the disease is diagnosed. Therefore, early diagnosis has never been more essential for successful treatment and a reduction in mortality rates. Radiology plays a pivotal role in cancer detection, and advances in ultrasound (US) palpation have shown promising results for breast cancer imaging. The addition of two-dimensional-shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) US in the routine breast imaging exam can increase early cancer detection and promote better surveillance.

AIM

To evaluate the clinical applications of 2D-SWE US in breast cancer detection and its combination with other imaging modalities.

METHODS

The 200 consecutive female patients aged 50-80 were examined to evaluate palpable breast lesions. All patients underwent mammography, bright mode (B-mode) US, and 2D-SWE followed by US-guided biopsy in two consecutive sessions.

RESULTS

Combining B-mode and shear wave US imaging with X-ray mammography revealed 100% of the suspicious lesions, resulting in greater sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value. The result improves compared to either B-mode or 2D-SWE alone (P = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

Combining 2D-SWE with conventional US and X-ray techniques improves the chance of early cancer detection. Including 2D-SWE in regular breast imaging routines can reduce the need for biopsies and improve the chance of early cancer detection and survivability with the proper line of therapy.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Two-dimensional-shear wave elastography; Ultrasound; Mammography; Bright mode

Core Tip: Breast cancer imaging benefits from integrating two-dimensional-shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) with traditional bright mode (B-mode) ultrasound (US) and X-ray mammography. Our retrospective study showed that this combination identified 100% of suspicious lesions, enhancing sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value compared to using B-mode or 2D-SWE alone. Incorporating 2D-SWE into regular breast imaging protocols can reduce the need for biopsies and improve early cancer detection rates. This approach enhances the chances of successful treatment and survivability, underscoring the clinical potential of combining advanced US techniques with conventional imaging methods.