Is the MRI Phenotype Associated with Survival in Patients with Different Breast Cancer Subtypes?
TL;DR
In this exploratory analysis, MRI phenotype was associated with disease-free survival in triple-negative and ER-low breast cancers, and need to be confirmed in larger studies before MRI morphology can be considered a prognostic imaging biomarker in aggressive breast cancer subtypes.
Abstract
Simple Summary Breast cancer is not a single disease but a group of tumors that behave very differently from one another. In this study of 407 women, we examined whether tumor appearance on breast magnetic resonance imaging is associated with long-term outcomes. In an exploratory analysis, MRI phenotype was associated with disease-free survival in triple-negative and ER-low breast cancer. Circumscribed, unifocal tumors (Type 2 phenotype) are associated with significantly better disease-free survival, whereas spiculated or multifocal patterns (Types 1 and 3) are associated with worse outcomes in these aggressive subtypes. MRI morphology may provide prognostic information beyond molecular subtype in triple-negative breast cancer; these exploratory findings require validation in larger prospective cohorts.