Retrospective Analysis of MRI-Based Contralateral Breast Density and Morphometric Features: Influence on Invasive Ductal and Lobular Carcinomas.

Abstract

Background: Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) and Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) are the most common types of Invasive Breast Cancers (IBC), known for their aggressiveness. Breast density (BD) is a significant risk factor for breast cancer. Objectives: To utilize Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to investigate the influence of BD and other morphometric features of the Contralateral Breast (CLB) on patients diagnosed with IDC and ILC Methods: This retrospective study involved female patients aged 40 years or older, sourced from the Cancer Imaging Archive database according to the purpose of the study. Pre-contrast axial T1 weighted images were processed using 3D Slicer software to create 3D images of the CLB. Regions of interest within the CLB were manually selected, with approval from a board-certified radiologist to ensure accuracy and consistency. These 3D images were used to measure total breast volume, glandular tissue volume, BD, breast surface area, and glandular tissue surface area. MRI BD was calculated as the ratio of fibro-glandular tissue volume to total breast volume. Data analysis was performed using Python 3.12, employing an ANOVA f-test to assess the impact of MRI BD and morphometric features on IBCs, with the critical f-value determined from the tabular f distribution for analysis. Results: A cohort of 144 female patients (mean age 51.64 years) who underwent breast MRI (118 with IDC and 26 with ILC) was studied. Analysis of breast volume (f-value = 2.358518), glandular tissue volume (f-value = 0.542159), surface area (f-value = 1.387352), glandular tissue surface area (f-value = 1.085903), and MRI BD (f-value = 0.038482) revealed f-values below the critical threshold of 3.8815. Conclusions: The study found no statistically significant influence of MRI BD and other morphometric features of the CLB on the occurrence of IDC and ILC.