title: Location of triple-negative breast cancers: comparison with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers on MR imaging.
abstract: There has been a major need to better understand the biological characteristics of triple-negative breast cancers. Compared with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive cancers, several magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings have been reported as characteristic findings. However, information regarding their location has not been described. Our study was to compare the location of triple-negative breast cancers with that of ER-positive breast cancers using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The locations of 1102 primary breast cancers (256 triple-negative and 846 ER-positive) in 1090 women (mean, 52.1 years) were reviewed using three-dimensional (3D) coordinates. The x-axis measurement was recorded as the transverse distance from the posterior nipple line; y-axis measurement as the anteroposterior distance from the chest wall; z-axis measurement as the superoinferior distance from the posterior nipple line. The association between breast cancer subtype and tumor location was evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis. Triple-negative breast cancers were significantly closer to the chest wall than ER-positive breast cancers in absolute (1.8 cm vs. 2.3 cm, P < .0001) and normalized (0.21 vs. 0.25, P < .0001) y-axis distances. The x- and z-axes distances were not significantly different between triple-negative and ER-positive breast cancers. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that age, mammographic density, axillary nodal status, and triple-negative subtype were significantly associated with absolute and normalized distances from the chest wall (all P < .05). Our results show that triple-negative breast cancers have a tendency toward a posterior or prepectoral location compared with ER-positive breast cancers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Won Hwa
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Wonshik
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Nariya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: In Ae
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Woo Kyung
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Moon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001365:Axilla / Q000473:pathology; D000071060:Breast Density; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D016014:Linear Models; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D042361:Mammary Glands, Human / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D035441:Thoracic Wall / Q000473:pathology; D064726:Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D011960:Receptors, Estrogen