Magnetic Resonance Elastography in Breast Cancer

描述(申请人提供)：乳腺癌死亡率为 因此，如果我们要取得进展，及早发现是至关重要的。 应对这种疾病的负担。像乳房X光检查这样的成像方法 为乳腺癌的早期诊断做出了重大贡献。但目前情况很清楚 标准成像技术在检测 乳腺癌的最早变化及其在良性疾病鉴别中的作用 来自重要的癌前疾病和恶性疾病。 基于简单触诊作为一种临床工具的显著疗效 检测身体可及部位的癌症，很早就被人们认识到 这是一种敏感的、基于成像的方法，能够评估粘弹性 组织的特性，可能会提供相当大的潜力来区分 良性组织中的恶性组织。这项研究的目标是开发一种 一种实用的基于MRJ的无创定量评估方法 乳房组织的机械特性。我们称这种技术为磁性技术。 磁共振弹性成像(MRE)。核磁共振电子显微镜在实验室的初步开发 已经证明了定量成像大型 乳腺正常组织与癌变组织弹性性质的差异 活着。 这项建议的具体目的是：(1)进一步发展MR 用于预成像的弹性成像技术以及(2)评估这一技术的潜力 鉴别乳腺恶性与非恶性的新影像技术 损伤。 MRE技术是在标准的MRI扫描仪上实现的。因此，它是 易于在同一检查中与标准的增强MRI相结合 用于乳腺癌成像的方案。这项研究将提供第一个 大量的定量的、空间分辨的数据，描述了 乳腺良恶性组织体内粘弹性特性的研究。这个 计划的技术开发工作和试点研究将提供关键的 的可取和最有效的设计的先决条件 未来的临床试验将测试MRE对鉴别良性肿瘤的价值 恶性乳腺肿块。

DESCRIPTION (Provided by Applicant): Mortality from breast cancer is stage-dependent and thus, early detection is vital if we are to make progress addressing the burden of this disease. Imaging methods such as mammography have made a ma contribution in the early diagnosis of breast cancer. Yet is clear that the standard imaging techniques have significant limitations in detecting the earliest changes of breast cancer and in distinguishing benign condition from important premalignant and malignant disease. Based on the remarkable efficacy of simple palpation as a clinical tool for detecting cancer in accessible parts of the body, it has long been recognized that a sensitive, imaging-based method, capable of assessing viscoelastjc properties of tissue, might offer considerable potential for discriminating malignant from benign tissues. The goal of this research is to develop a practical noninvasive MRJ-based method for quantitatively evaluating the mechanical properties of breast tissues. We call this technique magnetic resonance elastography (MRE). Preliminary development of MRE in our laboratory has demonstrated the feasibility of quantitatively imaging the large differences in the elastic properties of normal and cancerous breast tissues in vivo. The specific aims of this proposal are (1) to further develop the MR elastography technology for pre imaging and (2) to assess the potential of this new imaging technique to differentiate breast malignancies fr non-malignant lesions. The MRE technique is implemented on a standard MRI scanner. Therefore it is readily combined in the same examination with standard contrast-enhanced MRI protocols for breast cancer imaging. This research-will provide the first substantial body of quantitative, spatially-resolved data describing the viscoelastic properties of benign and malignant breast tissues in vivo. The planned technical development work and pilot studies will provide critical prerequisites for determining the advisability and most efficient design of a future clinical trial to test the value of MRE for distinguishing benign from malignant breast masses.