Cellular microstructural mapping (cell size imaging) by time-dependent diffusion MRI for prediction of prognostic factors in breast cancer

Motivation: Recent advances in time-dependent diffusion MRI (td-dMRI) for microstructural modeling provide the opportunity to characterize cancer pathology in vivo. Goal(s): This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of td-dMRI–based microstructural mapping for noninvasively characterizing of breast tumors, and further to evaluated whether the tumor microstructural properties could be used to distinguish prognostic factors in breast cancer. Approach: All patients underwent T1-weighted imaging, T2-weighted imaging, diffusion weighted imaging, td-dMRI, and dynamic contrast enhancement scans on a 3T scanner. Results: Results showed that td-MRI parameters showed significant differences between benign and malignant breast tumors, and can also be used for prediction of prognostic factors in breast cancer. Impact: The cellular microstructural mapping by time-dependent diffusion MRI show great potential for noninvasive evaluation of pathologic characteristics in breast cancer in a clinical setting.