Multidetector computed tomography assessment on tumor size and nodal status in patients with locally advanced breast cancer before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Abstract Aims To evaluate the utility of multidetector computed tomography (MCT) in assessing tumor size and nodal status in patients with advanced breast cancers before and after the neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Methods Twenty-eight proven locally advanced breast cancer patients with 30 tumors were enrolled in this study. MCT was used to assess tumor size and axillary lymph nodes before and after the neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The correlation between tumor size on MCT and gross tumor size was tested. Results The MCT measurements documented complete response in 3, partial response in 18, non-response in 8 and progressed in 1. The mean tumor diameters on pathology and post-chemotherapy MCT were 3.6 cm (S.D. = ±2.9 cm) and 3.1 cm (S.D. = ±2.6 cm), respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.76 ( p Conclusion MCT can be used to evaluate tumor size and nodal status in patients with advanced breast cancer. As there is a baseline MCT before chemotherapy for comparison, we are potentially aware of the possibility of false negative nodal micrometastases on the post-chemotherapy MCT.