Detection and Evaluation of Early Breast Cancer via Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Studies of Mouse Models and Clinical Implementation

摘要

Mice are widely used in the study of breast cancer to increase understanding of cancer development and to evaluate new therapies. Noninvasive imaging methods are a crucial component of the effective use of mouse models of breast cancer. However prior imaging studies of mammary cancer in mice have focused on large palpable tumors at an advanced stage of invasion that are rarely orthotopic and are poor models for the human cancers commonly seen clinically. Here high resolution MR was used to image spontaneous early and nonpalpable cancers transgenic mouse model of breast cancer. After correlation with histology MRI was able to clearly detect large 5mm tumors small nonpalpable 0.51.5mm tumors and even smaller ducts distended with preinvasive ductal carcinoma in situ 300500 microns in diameter with very high sensitivity and specificity. This is the first report of in vivo imaging of early spontaneous mouse mammary cancer. Because of its similarity to human breast cancer in vivo MRI of early orthotopic murine mammary cancer will be an important tool for real time study of the development and progression of breast cancer in vivo. These techniques can be used to develop new therapies that target early breast cancer and to find new ways of detecting early breast cancer.