The role of shear wave elastography in the management of breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy treatment

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences between shear wave elastography findings responders and non-responders in the follow-up of breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Materials and Methods: Between September 2015 and August 2018, 47 patients were evaluated retrospectively. The patients were measured by tru-cut biopsy before and after the diagnosis and at the end of the treatment with shear wave elastography (SWE). Measurements were taken from the hardest part of the mass and from the environment normal parenchyma. In addition, the ratio of the mass and parenchyma to each other (R) was recorded. Patients were followed up in the interim period. Results: The SWE value of the mass was higher in the patients who responded to NAC, whereas the SWE value decreased after the treatment (p=0.00). In patients without response, SWE values of the mass did not decrease significantly at the end of NAC. After the NAC, parenchymal SWE values were found to be increased in all patients. In patients without response, SWE values of the masses were significantly higher than those in patients with no response (p=0.029). When the values at the end of NAC treatment were examined, the patients with unresponsive response had higher SWE values than the patients with response (respectively; p=0.05, p=0.02). Conclusion: There is a statistically significant relationship between the response of NAC to breast tumors and the SWE values measured before and after treatment.