1
|
Eun NL, Bae SJ, Youk JH, Son EJ, Ahn SG, Jeong J, Kim JH, Lee Y, Cha YJ. Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Level Consistently Correlates with Lower Stiffness Measured by Shear-Wave Elastography: Subtype-Specific Analysis of Its Implication in Breast Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:1254. [PMID: 38610934 PMCID: PMC11011118 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16071254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: We aimed to elucidate the clinical significance of tumor stiffness across breast cancer subtypes and establish its correlation with the tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) levels using shear-wave elastography (SWE). Methods: SWE was used to measure tumor stiffness in breast cancer patients from January 2016 to August 2020. The association of tumor stiffness and clinicopathologic parameters, including the TIL levels, was analyzed in three breast cancer subtypes. Results: A total of 803 patients were evaluated. Maximal elasticity (Emax) showed a consistent positive association with an invasive size and the pT stage in all cases, while it negatively correlated with the TIL level. A subgroup-specific analysis revealed that the already known parameters for high stiffness (lymphovascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, Ki67 levels) were significant only in hormone receptor-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer (HR + HER2-BC). In the multivariate logistic regression, an invasive size and low TIL levels were significantly associated with Emax in HR + HER2-BC and HER2 + BC. In triple-negative breast cancer, only TIL levels were significantly associated with low Emax. Linear regression confirmed a consistent negative correlation between TIL and Emax in all subtypes. Conclusions: Breast cancer stiffness presents varying clinical implications dependent on the tumor subtype. Elevated stiffness indicates a more aggressive tumor biology in HR + HER2-BC, but is less significant in other subtypes. High TIL levels consistently correlate with lower tumor stiffness across all subtypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Na Lae Eun
- Department of Radiology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06273, Republic of Korea; (N.L.E.); (J.H.Y.); (E.J.S.)
| | - Soong June Bae
- Institute of Breast Cancer Precision Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06273, Republic of Korea; (S.J.B.); (S.G.A.); (J.J.); (J.H.K.)
- Department of Surgery, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06273, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Hyun Youk
- Department of Radiology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06273, Republic of Korea; (N.L.E.); (J.H.Y.); (E.J.S.)
| | - Eun Ju Son
- Department of Radiology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06273, Republic of Korea; (N.L.E.); (J.H.Y.); (E.J.S.)
| | - Sung Gwe Ahn
- Institute of Breast Cancer Precision Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06273, Republic of Korea; (S.J.B.); (S.G.A.); (J.J.); (J.H.K.)
- Department of Surgery, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06273, Republic of Korea
| | - Joon Jeong
- Institute of Breast Cancer Precision Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06273, Republic of Korea; (S.J.B.); (S.G.A.); (J.J.); (J.H.K.)
- Department of Surgery, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06273, Republic of Korea
| | - Jee Hung Kim
- Institute of Breast Cancer Precision Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06273, Republic of Korea; (S.J.B.); (S.G.A.); (J.J.); (J.H.K.)
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06273, Republic of Korea
| | - Yangkyu Lee
- Institute of Breast Cancer Precision Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06273, Republic of Korea; (S.J.B.); (S.G.A.); (J.J.); (J.H.K.)
- Department of Pathology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06273, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoon Jin Cha
- Institute of Breast Cancer Precision Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06273, Republic of Korea; (S.J.B.); (S.G.A.); (J.J.); (J.H.K.)
- Department of Pathology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06273, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Jin J, Liu YH, Zhang B. Diagnostic Performance of Strain and Shear Wave Elastography for the Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer Patients: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JOURNAL OF ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE : OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE 2022; 41:2459-2466. [PMID: 34967455 DOI: 10.1002/jum.15930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To investigate the diagnostic performance of strain and shear wave elastography for the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer patients. METHODS Relevant studies were searched in the databases of PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane Library until October 2021. The diagnostic performance of ultrasonic elastography for the response to NAC were estimated by calculating the area under the curve (AUC) with sensitivity and specificity using Stata 14.0. RESULTS A total of 15 studies that comprise 1147 breast cancer patients were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled AUC of strain elastography in diagnosing responses were 0.89 (95% CI = 0.86-0.91) with 87% (95% CI = 75-94%) of sensitivity and 80% (95% CI = 72-84%) of specificity. The pooled AUC of shear wave elastography in diagnosing response were 0.82 (95% CI = 0.78-0.85) with 79% (95% CI = 72-84%) of sensitivity and 81% (95% CI = 71-88%). No publication bias was observed across the studies using Deek's funnel plot. CONCLUSIONS Based on current evidence, this meta-analysis confirmed that strain and shear wave elastography exhibited favorable performance for predicting responses to NAC. Strain and shear wave elastography may be a useful, noninvasive method for the assessment of response to NAC in breast cancer patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jian Jin
- The Fourth Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou City, China
| | - Yong Hong Liu
- The Fourth Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou City, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- The Fourth Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou City, China
| |
Collapse
|