Advances in the application of multimodal ultrasound in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast dis-eases
LIU Wenjing
LI Huiwen
Abstract：Breast cancer has become the most common cancer among women and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths.Ul-trasound examination is currently the primary method for breast cancer screening and diagnosis,however,due to the complex di-versity of breast tissue,many breast diseases do not present as lumps but rather as non-mass lesions without clear boundaries.Two-dimensional ultrasound diagnosis of breast diseases primarily relies on the acoustic properties of tissues.It can clearly iden-tify the precise location of lesions,their internal structural characteristics,and the relationship between lesions and surrounding tissues,however,it has limitations in sensitivity and specificity,potentially leading to misdiagnosis.The emergence of new ultra-sound technologies has addressed the limitations of two-dimensional ultrasound,which relies solely on tissue acoustic characteris-tics for diagnosing breast diseases.Advances from color Doppler flow imaging to contrast-enhanced ultrasound and superb micro-vascular imaging enable non-invasive,safe visualization of microcirculation in breast diseases.Furthermore,the proliferation of fibrous connective tissue in the stroma response of malignant breast diseases provides the theoretical foundation for ultrasound elastography in breast cancer diagnosis.The development of ultrasound viscoelastic imaging technology provides a more compre-hensive and objective understanding of breast diseases,recognizing that they are not characterized solely by elastic properties but rather exhibit dual characteristics of both viscoelasticity and elasticity,thereby reducing misdiagnosis rates associated with the assumption that breast tissue is a homogeneous medium.The combined application of different ultrasound techniques in breast cancer diagnosis significantly improves diagnostic accuracy and reduces unnecessary needle biopsies.In recent years,the com-bined use of artificial intelligence with multimodal ultrasound examinations,the integration of multimodal ultrasound with breast cancer multi-omics research,and the joint application of multimodal ultrasound with genomic testing have all demonstrated sig-nificant diagnostic value.
Keywords：Breast cancerMultimodal ultrasound examinationTwo-dimensional ultrasoundColor Doppler flow imagingContrast-enhanced ultrasoundSuperb microvascular imagingUltrasound elastographyUltrasound viscoelastic imaging tech-nology
Publication Date：2025-12-30
Online Publishing Date：2026-02-04(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 148-152 )