Shear Wave Elastography in the Diagnosis of Metastatic Lesions of Peripheral Lymph Nodes

Abstract

464 patients were included to our study. The patients cohort was consist of: 214 female with histologically verified breast cancer (46,1 %); 51 patients with skin melanoma (11 %); head and neck cancers (except for thyroid cancer) were diagnosed in 123 patients (26,5 %) and thyroid cancer was revealed in 76 patients (16,4 %). The age of all patients was 19-76 y.o. (median - 57 y.o.). In all patients, metastatic changes were suspected in the different lymph nodes localization. According to the morphological examinations results, all patients of each malignancy were divided into two subgroups: with the proved lymph nodes metastases and with lymphoid tissue hyperplasia. The values of the Young's modulus for metastatic and hyperplastic lymph nodes were calculated in the each malignancy group. The Young's modulus values significant differences between metastatic and hyperplastic lymph nodes changes were revealed for all groups (p < 0,0001). The best levels of diagnostic efficacy (Se - Sp - AUROC) for the lymph nodes metastasis detection were achieved by the following cut-off: the breast cancer - ≥ 37,1 kPa (82,3-88,1-0,92); the skin melanoma - ≥ 22,7 kPa (86,0-76,9-0,91); the head and neck malignancies (except for the thyroid cancer) - ≥ 32,2 kPa (89,7-84,6-0,90); the thyroid cancer - ≥ 46,5 kPa (83,0-91,7-0,86).