A Preliminary Comparative Study of Young's Modulus Versus Shear Modulus in the Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of Young's modulus (E) and shear modulus (G) in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast masses using sound touch elastography (STE) and to explore the relationship between G and E in breast lesions. Methods A total of 96 consecutive women with 110 pathologically confirmed breast masses were included. All masses were detected by conventional and STE ultrasound. E-mean, E-max, E-min, E-SD, G(mean), G(max), G(min), and G(SD) were determined and evaluated for evidence of significant differences between benign and malignant breast masses. Receiver operator characteristics were used to compare the diagnostic efficacy of E and G and to determine the G cutoff value that would aid in the differential diagnosis of breast cancer. ResultsE(mean), E-max, E-SD, G(mean), G(max), and G(SD) in cases of malignant breast masses were significantly higher than those in cases of benign masses (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between E-min and G(min) (P = 0.565). In applying the E-mean, E-max, E-SD, G(mean), G(max), and G(SD) to the receiver operator characteristics: (1) the area under the curve (AUC) of G(mean) and G(max) is greater than the AUC of E-mean and E-max, and the AUC of E-SD is equal to the AUC of G(SD). (2) The sensitivity and specificity were highest when the G(mean) was 10.14 kPa. They were 84.1% and 80.3% respectively. (3) The sensitivity and specificity were highest when the G(max) was 52.20 kPa. They were 88.6% and 87.9% respectively. Conclusions These preliminary results of STE evaluation of breast masses suggest that the diagnostic value of G is greater than E. Furthermore, STE is a valuable tool in the differential diagnosis of breast lesions.