title: Triple-negative breast cancer: are the imaging findings different between responders and nonresponders to neoadjuvant chemotherapy?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the imaging findings of triple-negative breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and to investigate whether the findings are different between responders and nonresponders, enabling us to predict the final patient response.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects included 22 women ages 35-73 years (mean, 50.4 years) with 23 triple-negative breast cancers who underwent NAC. In all cases, a mammography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed a total of three times: before NAC, after the first half of NAC, and after NAC. The mass shape, mass margin, presence of clear intratumoral necrosis, and presence of intratumoral calcification were analyzed. The presence of clear intratumoral necrosis was evaluated on the MRI. If there was a very high signal intensity (similar to that of water) in the tumor on the fat-suppressed T2-weighted MRI scans, we judged it to be clear intratumoral necrosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An irregularly shaped mass (P = .018) and the presence of clear intratumoral necrosis (P = .044) were significantly associated with NAC nonresponse in triple-negative breast cancer patients. The mass margin and the presence of intratumoral calcification were not related to the effects after NAC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In cases of triple-negative breast cancer involving clear intratumoral necrosis with an irregular mass shape, it is predicted that the effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy will likely be poor, and therefore, the presence of such image findings may be useful for determining the optimal application of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Quantum Medical Technology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, 5-11-80 Kodatsuno, Kanazawa, 920-0942 Japan. hirokok@med.m.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawashima
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inokuchi
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.forename: Seiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kitamura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D000077143:Docetaxel; D015251:Epirubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009336:Necrosis; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D043823:Taxoids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel; D015251:Epirubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D005472:Fluorouracil