Biomechanical parameters for predicting response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and disease-free survival in breast cancer

Motivation: Little is known regarding biomechanical properties temporal changes during neoadjuvant chemotherapy and associated with treatment response in breast cancer. Goal(s): We investigate temporal changes in neoadjuvant chemotherapy-associated biomechanical parameters quantified by multifrequency MR elastography and assess biomechanical parameters as a predictor of pathologic complete response (pCR) and disease-free survival (DFS). Approach: We enrolled participants who underwent multifrequency MR-elastography (30,40,50 and 60 Hz) at four timepoints. Tomoelastography postprocessing provided biomechanical maps of shear-wave-speed (c) and loss-angle (φ) as proxies of stiffness and viscosity. Results: Multifrequency MR elastography-derived biomechanical parameters were valuable biomarkers for pCR and DFS in patients with breast cancer. Impact: Combining biomechanical parameters quantified by multifrequency MR elastography and clinicopathologic variables showed good performance for predicting pathologic complete response and disease-free survival in breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.