Abstract:Objective: To investigate the relationship between the convergence sign in automated breast volume scanner (ABVS) and tumor-associated clinicopathologic variables in patients with invasive ductal breast carcinoma (IDBC).
Methods: The ultrasonographic images and clinicopathological data of 160 IDBC patients (160 masses) confirmed by postoperative pathology were collected. The relations of the convergence sign present in the coronal plane of ABVS with the clinicopathologic variables of the patients were analyzed.
Results: Of the 160 patients, convergence sign was seen in 56 cases (35.0%) and absent in 104 cases (65.0%). There were no significant differences in proportions of presence of the convergence sign between groups concerning age, tumor size and menopausal status (all P>0.05). The proportions of presence of the convergence sign were increased in groups for histological I-II grade and axillary lymph node metastases as well as positive estrogen receptor, positive progesterone receptor, negative epidermal growth factor receptor and negative Ki-67 (all P<0.05). The proportions of presence of the convergence sign showed no statistical difference between groups concerning different statuses of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (P>0.05).
Conclusion: The convergence sign of the IDBC mass in the coronal plane of ABVS can, to some extent, indicate the clinicopathologic features of the tumor, which may provide imaging evidence for the selection of personalized diagnosis and treatment as well as prognosis estimation for breast cancer in clinical practice.