Quantitative Background Parenchymal Enhancement: Association with Lifetime Risk Factors on Breast Cancer Screening MRI

Motivation: Breast MRI background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) has been associated with breast cancer risk. The association of BPE with various breast cancer lifetime risk factors remains controversial. Goal(s): Our goal was to determine which risk factors are associated with BPE, specifically quantitative BPE due to variability in qualitative BPE. Approach: We used linear regression to evaluate the association between quantitative BPE and BRCA gene mutation status, age, body mass index (BMI), menopausal status, hormonal treatment, and fibroglandular tissue (FGT) level. Results: Both univariate and multivariate analyses of quantitative BPE showed significant correlations with age, BMI, menopausal status, and FGT level. Impact: Quantitative background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) is correlated with lifetime risk factors, such as age, BMI, menopausal status, and FGT level, on breast cancer screening MRI. This can provide potential insight into the cancer pathophysiological mechanisms underlying lifetime risk models.