Objectives: To evaluate the angiogenic and morphological response during and following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) in patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) using color Doppler ultrasound (CDU). Methods: Twenty patients with LABC underwent serial CDU studies during the course of NCT. The sonomorphological changes and color flow signals (CFS) distribution patterns of the tumors were evaluated at two-mo interval (The patients 12.3 ± 5.6 mo). Comparison of the initial baselines CDU with those after the individual courses of NCT was done. Morphological response was evaluated in conjunction with the pattern changes on CDU. Results: There were 14 responders and six nonresponders. After the first course of NCT, better responders showed apparent volume reduction (p < 0.05), and was frequently associated with a minimally increased lesion echogenicity and decreased sharpness of the lesion boundary. The initial tumor volume was 154.72 ± 123 ± 67 cm3 and after complete course of NCT, it was 65.51 ± 70.83 cm3. Tumors with better response to NCT tended to have a significantly reduced anteroposterior dimension (>1/3 reduction) and decreased intratumoral CFS after the first course. Conclusions: Serial analyses of the morphological volume changes and angiogenic parameters using CFS scoring are potentially useful to monitor the response on LABC throughout the course of NCT and might predict tumor response early in the course.
Date:
2006-05
Relation:
Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology. 2006 May;32(5, Suppl):p163.
