Evaluation of functional magnetic resonance APT and DKI imaging for breast cancer

Abstract Objective This study aimed to compare the performance of amide proton transfer–weighted imaging (APTWI) and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) in differentiating benign from malignant breast lesions, evaluate molecular subtypes of breast cancer, and determine the diagnostic efficacy of the quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) parameters in differentiating benign from malignant breast diseases. Methods The study included 168 women who underwent breast APTWI and DKI at Yunnan Cancer Hospital between December 2022 and July 2023. The APT signal intensity (SI), apparent kurtosis coefficient (Kapp), non-Gaussian diffusion coefficient (Dapp), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were measured before surgery. The differences in the aforementioned qMRI parameters in molecular subtypes of breast cancer were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. The efficacy of each quantitative parameter in differentiating benign from malignant breast diseases was evaluated using the receiver-operating characteristic curve. Results Significant differences in qMRI parameters were noted between benign and malignant breast lesions. The Kapp (P