Effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-supported chemotherapy on MR imaging of normal red bone marrow in breast cancer patients with focal bone metastases

• PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-supported chemotherapy on normal red bone marrow MR imaging in breast cancer patients with focal bone metastases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifteen breast cancer patients who were examined before and after chemotherapy with T1-weighted-SE and long echo-time inversion-recovery turbo-spin-echo (long TE IR-TSE) sequences in the thoracolumbar spine and pelvis were retrospectively studied. Nine of them received G-CSF therapy after the administration of each chemotherapy course. Of these 9 patients, the MR follow-ups were performed during G-CSF in 4 patients and after G-CSF therapy in 5 patients. Six patients did not receive G-CSF. Signal intensity (SI) changes in normal bone marrow were evaluated visually in all patients and quantitatively in 13 patients. RESULTS: In all 4 patients investigated during G-CSF therapy a diffuse, homogeneous SI increase on long TE IR-TSE was observed visually and quantitatively in initially normal bone marrow. This change obscured some focal lesions in 2 patients. No such SI change was visible after G-CSF therapy (p = 0.008) or in patients not receiving G-CSF. On T1-weighted images an SI decrease was found both during and after G-CSF therapy, but an increase occurred in patients not receiving G-CSF. CONCLUSION: G-CSF-supported chemotherapy can induce diffuse SI changes in normal red bone marrow on MR imaging. On long TE IR-TSE, the changes are visible during G-CSF treatment and can lead to misinterpretations in the response evaluation of bone metastases to therapy.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Adult

Aged

Bone Marrow/*pathology

Bone Neoplasms/*drug therapy/*secondary

Breast Neoplasms/*pathology

Drug Therapy

Combination

Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor/*therapeutic use

Humans

*Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Middle Aged

Retrospective Studies

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)