The relation between breast tissue density and breast cancer and expression method of breast tissue density in the mammography

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K07734
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 52040:Radiological sciences-related
• Research Institution: St. Marianna University School of Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Yamada Takyuki 聖マリアンナ医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (30302144)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 印牧 義英 聖マリアンナ医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (40318944)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 乳癌 / 乳腺組織 / 濃度 / CT

Outline of Final Research Achievements

150 patients with breast cancer and 100 patients with non-breast cancer were included in this study. Regarding the density of breast tissue, the mean CT attenuation numbers were not significantly different between them. However, the breast density after the surgery was only obtained for the patients with breast cancer because precontrast CT was conducted as preoperative examination. Then the breast density may have been affected by the postoperative hormonal therapy.
The occupation of breast tissue in the breast was difficult to measure because the CT scanning was performed in the supine position that made it difficult to extract the breast owing to the various breast positions.

Free Research Field

放射線医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

乳癌患者と非乳癌患者において、乳腺CT値に特に有意差は認められなかった。ただし、乳癌患者に対する術後ホルモン療法の乳腺濃度に対する影響を完全には排除できなかった。乳腺組織自体の密度（濃度）が乳癌のリスクになっているという結果は得られなかった。マンモグラフィで行われている乳房に占める乳腺組織の体積比がパラメータとして、重要かもしれないが、CTを用いてその全スライスから体積比を求めることは、撮像ポジションを考えると難しい。簡便な計測法の検討が必要と考えられた。