Power Doppler Ultrasound of Breast Cancer: Correlation with Histologic Microvessel Density and Lymph Node Metastasis

PURPOSE : To evaluate how breast cancer vascularity detected by power Doppler sonography correlates with microvessel density(MVD) and lymph node involvement. MATERIALS and METHODS : Power Doppler US was performed on 47 patients with pathologically diagnosed invasive ductal carcinoma. According to the presense or absence of vessels, power Doppler findings were categorized regarding total tumors and tumors less than 2cm. MVD was assessed immunohistochemically using polyclonal antisera against factor VIII. Tumor vascularity was correlated with MVD and lymph node involvement. RESULTS : Among 47 infiltrating ductal carcinomas, 35(74.5%) cases were vascular and 12(25.5%) cases were avascular on power Doppler US. The mean MVD of the vascular and avascular carcinomas did not show any statistical difference. However, lymph mode involvement showed significant statistical difference between the two groups (51.4% versus 25.0%, p=0.036), even though in cancers less than 2cm (40% versus 22.2%, p=0.047). CONCLUSION : Breast cancer vascularity detected by power Doppler sonography was not correlated with MVD but correlated with lymph node involvement. So we suggest that power Doppler sonography may be useful for predicting lymph node metastasis.ope