title: Elastographic features of triple negative breast cancers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate shear-wave elastographic (SWE) features of triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) and determine useful discriminators from other types of invasive breast cancers.
  
  
  METHODS
  SWE features of 26 TNBC were reviewed and compared to 32 non-TNBC. Qualitative SWE features of lesion colour appearance, shape and homogeneity were analysed. Quantitative features were measured: mean (El mean), maximum (El max) and minimum (El min) elasticity value of the stiffest portion of the mass, mean elasticity of the surrounding tissue (El mean surr) and lesion to fat elasticity ratio (E ratio).
  
  
  RESULTS
  TNBC are more often regularly shaped (57.7 % vs. 6.2 %), while non-TNBC are more commonly red (93.7 % vs 42.3 %) and heterogeneous (68.7 % vs 42.3 %). The stiffness of TNBC is significantly lower compared to non-TNBC. The two groups could be distinguished on the basis of El max (p = 0.001), El mean (p = 0.001), El min (p = 0.001) and E ratio (p = 0.0017). Lesion to fat elasticity ratio in TNBC group was statistically significantly lower than in the non-TNBC control group (p = 0.009).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TNBC often demonstrate benign morphological features, are softer on SWE and have a lower lesion to fat stiffness ratio compared to the other, more common types of invasive breast cancers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  • TNBC often demonstrate benign morphological features on SWE. • TNBC present on elastography mostly as red, regularly shaped, heterogeneous lesions. • TNBC are less stiff compared to other invasive breast cancers. • TNBC have lower lesion to fat stiffness ratio than other breast cancers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, General Hospital Orašje, III ulica bb, Orašje, Bosnia and Herzegovina. martina.dzoic@gmail.com.|Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital "Dubrava", University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Avenija Gojka Šuška 6, Zagreb, Croatia. martina.dzoic@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Džoić Dominković
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital "Dubrava", University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Avenija Gojka Šuška 6, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Gordana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ivanac
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Immunology, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.|Laboratory for Molecular Immunology, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Salata 3, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Tomislav
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kelava
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital "Dubrava", University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Avenija Gojka Šuška 6, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brkljačić
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D064726:Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016217:Ultrasonography, Mammary / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Breast neoplasms; Elastic modulus; Elastography; Sonoelastography; Triple negative breast neoplasms