Diagnostic Value of Ultrasound Elastography in T1-Stage Breast Cancer
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Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of combining strain elastography (SE) and shear-wave elastography (SWE) with B-mode ultrasonography in differentiating benign from malignant breast lesions measuring less than 20 mm. A total of 84 patients with 95 breast lesions measuring ≤20 mm and classified as BI-RADS category 3 or higher on B-mode ultrasonography were evaluated using SWE and SE. The results showed that the diameter ratio, fat-to-lesion strain ratio (FTL ratio), and mean elasticity value (Emean) were significantly higher in malignant lesions than in benign lesions (all p < 0.001). A diameter ratio cutoff of 1.01 yielded a sensitivity of 93.9% and a specificity of 83.9%; an FTL ratio cutoff of 3.24 yielded a sensitivity of 97.0% and a specificity of 71.0%; and an Emean cutoff of 60 kPa yielded a sensitivity of 78.8% and a specificity of 91.9%. The addition of elastography to B-mode ultrasonography improved the specificity and diagnostic accuracy for differentiating benign from malignant breast lesions; however, it reduced diagnostic sensitivity, particularly for lesions measuring ≤10 mm. Therefore, BI-RADS categories should not be downgraded solely on the basis of a single elastographic cutoff value.
Keywords
T1 breast cancer, shear-wave elastography, strain elastography, BI-RADS, quantitative elasticity
Article Details
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