Diagnostic and prognostic value of retraction phenomenon observed in 3 D ultrasonography of breast masses

This study aimed to investigate the clinical value of the retraction phenomenon observed in 3D ultrasonography (RP-3DU) in diagnosing breast masses and evaluating their prognosis. Preoperative 3D ultrasonography was performed on 165 patients with breast masses. The observed RP of the masses was then compared with the tumor size, histological grade, lymph node status, and clinical biomarkers such as the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor 2 (CerbB-2), and Ki-67 to analyze the correlation between RP-3DU and the above indexes. The sensitivity and specificity of RP-3DU in diagnosing malignant breast masses were 67.7% and 93.1%, respectively. The observed rate of RP in 3DU was significantly different (P < 0.001) between the invasive and non-invasive cancers. Compared to the non-RP-3DU group, the tumor size in the RP-3DU group was ≤ 20 mm (P < 0.05), and the histological grade was mostly grade II (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the RP-3DU group showed significantly higher numbers of ER and PR positive masses (P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to lymph node status, CerbB-2, and Ki-67 expression (P > 0.05). The occurrence of RP in 3DU could therefore contribute to the prognostic evaluation of breast cancer.