Assessment of Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Background Parenchymal Enhancement Parameters to Improve Determination of Individual Breast Cancer Risk.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to identify optimal quantitative breast magnetic resonance imaging background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) parameters associated with breast cancer risk and compare performance to qualitative assessments.

METHODS: Using a matched case-control cohort of 46 high-risk women who underwent screening magnetic resonance imaging (23 who developed breast cancer matched to 23 who did not), fibroglandular tissue area, BPE area, and intensity metrics (mean, SD, quartiles, skewness, and kurtosis) were quantitatively measured at varying enhancement thresholds. Optimal thresholds for discriminating between cancer and control cohorts were identified for each metric and performance summarized using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.

RESULTS: Women who developed breast cancer exhibited greater BPE area (adjusted P = 0.004) and higher intensity statistics (adjusted P < 0.004, except skewness and kurtosis with P > 0.99) than did control subjects, with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve ranging from 0.75 to 0.78 at optimized thresholds.

CONCLUSIONS: Elevated quantitative BPE parameters, related to both area and intensity of enhancement, are associated with breast cancer development.