Evaluation of association between degree of background parenchymal enhancement on MRI and breast cancer subtype

Abstract Purpose Evaluate possible association between BPE and breast cancer tumor type/prognostic markers. Methods IRB approved retrospective study from 1/2010–1/2014 identified 328 patients who had breast MRI and available clinical/pathology data. BPE was categorized according to BI-RADS. The association between BPE and breast cancer molecular subtype/prognostic factors was evaluated. Results No significant association was present between high BPE and the following: HER2+ tumors, basal tumors, tumors with axillary nodal disease, high nuclear grade tumors, high Ki-67 index tumors or larger tumors. Conclusion Patients with high BPE may be at increased risk for breast cancer but not necessarily for those cancer subtypes with a poor prognosis.