MICROVESSEL DENSITY IN INVASIVE BREAST-CANCER ASSESSED BY DYNAMIC GD-DTPA ENHANCED MRI

It has been postulated that the rapid enhancement demonstrated by brea st carcinomas after administration of contrast media is a direct resul t of tumor angiogenesis. However, to date, little quantitative data ha ve been published to support this view. A retrospective study has been undertaken to compare dynamic contrast-enhanced data obtained from 40 patients with microvessel density (MVD) evaluated in specimens immuno histochemically stained with a factor vm related antigen, The dynamic data were analyzed quantitatively using both simple indices of enhance ment and a two-compartment kinetic model. A moderate but significant c orrelation was demonstrated between initial enhancement and MVD, and t his correlation strengthened when node-positive tumors were considered in isolation (r =.77, P <.0005). However, the data showed considerabl e variability. The enhancement characteristics of the tumors could not be explained solely by their MVD; therefore, MRI cannot be used to pr edict MVD in vivo. Further work is required to address the exact relat ionship between contrast-enhanced MRI and tumor angiogenesis.