Blood Oxygenation Level-dependent Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Breast Cancer: Correlation with Carbonic Anhydrase IX and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor

摘要

Background:Blood oxygenation level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD-MRI) is a functional MRI technique which involves using the paramagnetic properties of deoxyhemoglobin to image the local tissue oxygen concentration.The purpose of this study was to investigate whether BOLD-MRI could evaluate hypoxia and angiogenesis of breast invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC).Methods:Ninety-eight female patients with IDC were retrospectively included in this research.All patients underwent breast BOLD-MRI at 3.0 T before surgery.R2* values of BOLD-MRI were measured.The expression of carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was analyzed by immunohistochemistry.Spearman's correlation analysis was used to correlate R2* value with CA IX and VEGF levels.Results:Heterogeneous intensity on BOLD-MRI images was the main finding of IDCs.The mean R2* value was 52.8 ± 18.6 Hz.The R2* values in patients with axillary lymph node metastasis were significantly higher than the R2* values in patients without axillary lymph node metastasis (t =2.882,P =0.005).R2* values increased with CA IX level and positively correlated with the level of CA IX (r =0.616,P ＜ 0.001);however,R2* value had no significantly correlation with the level of VEGF (r =0.110,P =0.281).Conclusion:BOLD-MRI could noninvasively evaluate chronic hypoxia of IDC,but not angiogenesis.