Monitoring breast masses with ultrasound tomography in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy

摘要

The purpose of this study was to correlate changes in biomechanical properties of breast cancer lesions in response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Nine patients were examined repeatedly throughout their treatment, using an experimental prototype based on the principles of ultrasound tomography. The study was HIPAA compliant, approved by the Institutional Review Board, and performed after obtaining the requisite informed consent. Images of reflection, sound speed and attenuation, representing the entire volume of the breast, were reconstructed from the exam data and analyzed for time-dependent changes during the treatment period. It was found that changes in tumor properties could be measured in all cases. Furthermore, changes in sound speed were found to vary strongly from patient to patient. A comparison of the sound speed response curves with pathological findings suggests that complete responders exhibit distinctly different responses as measured by sound speed. These preliminary results were used to define a cut-point for predicting response. Subsequently, a prospective prediction of the treatment response of a new patient was made correctly. We hypothesize that changes in the biomechanical properties of breast cancers, as measured by sound speed, can predict response. Future studies will focus on testing this hypothesis and defining and quantifying markers of response.