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Breast Cancer Research
Published in: Breast Cancer Research 1/2016

Open Access 01-12-2016 | Research article

Tumor characterization and treatment monitoring of postsurgical human breast specimens using harmonic motion imaging (HMI)

Authors: Yang Han, Shutao Wang, Hanina Hibshoosh, Bret Taback, Elisa Konofagou

Published in: Breast Cancer Research | Issue 1/2016

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Abstract

Background

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a noninvasive technique used in the treatment of early-stage breast cancer and benign tumors. To facilitate its translation to the clinic, there is a need for a simple, cost-effective device that can reliably monitor HIFU treatment. We have developed harmonic motion imaging (HMI), which can be used seamlessly in conjunction with HIFU for tumor ablation monitoring, namely harmonic motion imaging for focused ultrasound (HMIFU). The overall objective of this study was to develop an all ultrasound-based system for real-time imaging and ablation monitoring in the human breast in vivo.

Methods

HMI was performed in 36 specimens (19 normal, 15 invasive ductal carcinomas, and 2 fibroadenomas) immediately after surgical removal. The specimens were securely embedded in a tissue-mimicking agar gel matrix and submerged in degassed phosphate-buffered saline to mimic in vivo environment. The HMI setup consisted of a HIFU transducer confocally aligned with an imaging transducer to induce an oscillatory radiation force and estimate the resulting displacement.

Results

3D HMI displacement maps were reconstructed to represent the relative tissue stiffness in 3D. The average peak-to-peak displacement was found to be significantly different (p = 0.003) between normal breast tissue and invasive ductal carcinoma. There were also significant differences before and after HMIFU ablation in both the normal (53.84 % decrease) and invasive ductal carcinoma (44.69 % decrease) specimens.

Conclusions

HMI can be used to map and differentiate relative stiffness in postsurgical normal and pathological breast tissues. HMIFU can also successfully monitor thermal ablations in normal and pathological human breast specimens. This HMI technique may lead to a new clinical tool for breast tumor imaging and HIFU treatment monitoring.
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Metadata
Title
Tumor characterization and treatment monitoring of postsurgical human breast specimens using harmonic motion imaging (HMI)
Authors
Yang Han
Shutao Wang
Hanina Hibshoosh
Bret Taback
Elisa Konofagou
Publication date
01-12-2016
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Breast Cancer Research / Issue 1/2016
Electronic ISSN: 1465-542X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13058-016-0707-3

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