The Lactating Breast: Contrast-enhanced MR Imaging of Normal Tissue and Cancer

Abstract

Normal lactating glands have increased density, high T2-weighted signal intensity, and rapid moderate contrast enhancement. Breast cancers are visible during lactation owing to their lower signal intensity and more intense initial contrast enhancement with early washout compared with normal breast tissue.

Comparison of errors associated with single‐ and multi‐bolus injection protocols in low‐temporal‐resolution dynamic contrast‐enhanced tracer kinetic analysis

“…In addition to this, tissue uptake curves generated with values of T c on the order of 1 s result in errors well above 500% for v p (data not shown). Error is further increased when the AIF is mis-sampled, and it is particularly striking that when data are sampled at temporal resolutions greater than 9 s, which is typical of the temporal resolution currently employed in some studies (32)(33)(34)(35), errors for both K trans and v p are greatly increased.…”

Pregnancy-associated breast cancer: spectrum of imaging appearances

“…There is a paucity of data on MRI features of PABC. Espinosa et al [7] reported MRI findings of five cases of breast carcinoma in lactating women. The MRI features of cancer in lactating breast tissue are similar to those of non-PABC cases and include homogeneously and heterogeneously enhancing masses (Figure 2c), mass with rim enhancement (Figure 3d), non-mass segmental enhancement and diffuse unilateral enhancement.…”

“…Unlike non-lactating breast tissue (Figure 5a), lactating parenchyma (Figure 5b) shows rapid enhancement following intravenous administration of contrast material, followed by an early plateau of enhancement, a feature attributed to increased vascular permeability similar to that seen in invasive malignancy [7,8]. Rapid enhancement of lactating parenchyma may hamper MRI detection of malignancy (Figure 1c).…”

“…Rapid enhancement of lactating parenchyma may hamper MRI detection of malignancy (Figure 1c). Usually PABCs demonstrate a faster and greater degree of enhancement than lactating tissue [7,8]. MRI may be more reliable in depicting disease extent and multicentricity (Figures 2c, 3d and 4b).…”

Background parenchymal enhancement: is it just an innocent effect of estrogen on the breast?

“…This can only be clarified by including pregnant patients in a study group and assessing their BPEs. There are only a few studies with limited sample size involving pregnant patients (25).…”