The Role of Synthetic MRI and Radiomics in Breast Cancer: A Review

Abstract

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer and the leading cause of cancer mortality among women. Recent advancements in imaging technologies, particularly Synthetic Magnetic Resonance Imaging (SyMRI) and radiomics, have shown promise in enhancing breast cancer diagnosis, treatment planning, and monitoring. By offering multiple contrast-weighted images from a single acquisition, SyMRI improves diagnostic accuracy while reducing scan time. On the other hand, Radiomics extracts quantitative features from medical images to provide valuable insights into tumor biology and treatment response. A comprehensive search was conducted in relevant databases (e.g. PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science) using keywords such as “Breast Cancer”, “Radiomics”, “Synthetic MRI”, “SyMRI,” and “Magnetic Resonance Imaging” and specifically focused on articles published after 2020. This review aims to explore the current state-of-the-art in SyMRI and radiomics for breast cancer, highlighting its potential to improve patient outcomes. We discuss the challenges and limitations, as well as future directions for research and clinical implementation.