Association of T2-Weighted Imaging Features in Invasive Breast Cancer With Clinicopathologic Features and Neoadjuvant Treatment Outcomes

To investigate the associations between T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) features and clinicopathologic characteristics in invasive breast cancer, as well as their relationship with treatment response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

This retrospective study included 179 women with invasive breast cancer who underwent preoperative 3T breast MRI between November 2020 and February 2021. Intratumoral T2 signal intensity (SI) and peritumoral edema were graded on T2WI, and T2 relaxation times were calculated both including and excluding necrotic or cystic areas. T2 relaxation times were compared across T2 SI grades using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Associations between T2 features and clinicopathologic factors were assessed using chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses. In patients who received NAC (n = 68), associations between T2 features and NAC outcomes were also evaluated.