Comparative Analysis of Abbreviated and Full Protocol Mri in Detecting Axillary Lymph Node Metastasis in Patients With Known Breast Cancer Publisher



Zeinalkhani F ; Mohammadzadeh S ; Sabet FM ; Hakim PK ; Zeinalkhani H ; Taher EB ; Hashemi S ; Moradkhani A ; Movahedi M ; Movahedi M
Source: Archives of Breast Cancer Published:2026

Abstract

Background: Accurate axillary lymph node staging is crucial for breast cancer prognosis and treatment planning. This study compares the diagnostic efficacy of abbreviated MRI (AB-MRI) protocols with limited sequences and reduced time against full-diagnostic MRI (FD-MRI) in staging axillary lymph node metastasis of breast cancer patients. Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy study of 88 women with breast cancer who underwent MRI for axillary lymph node staging. MRI protocols included FD-MRI, noncontrast T1 sequence, and contrast-enhanced T1 sequence. Imaging findings, interpreted by 2 radiologists blinded to histopathological results, were correlated with findings from sentinel lymph node biopsy or axillary lymph node dissection as the gold standard. Data analysis comprised diagnostic performance parameters (sensitivity and specificity) and interprotocol agreement using the κ statistic. Results: No statistically significant differences were detected among the 3 protocols (all McNemar P > 0.05). The noncontrast abbreviated MRI protocol demonstrated a sensitivity of 84.9% (95% CI, 72.4%–93.3%) and a specificity of 85.7% (95% CI, 69.7%–95.2%). Unweighted Cohen κ demonstrated strong concordance between the noncontrast and contrast-enhanced AB-MRI protocols (κ = 0.931; 95% CI, 0.86–1.00), between the noncontrast AB-MRI protocol and the FD-MRI (κ = 0.930; 95% CI, 0.85–1.00), and between the contrast-enhanced AB-MRI protocol and the FD-MRI (κ = 0.907; 95% CI, 0.82–1.00), respectively. Conclusion: Noncontrast AB-MRI provides a less invasive, cost-effective alternative to FD-MRI for staging axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer, with shorter scan times and fewer procedural risks. Further studies are needed for validation in larger cohorts. © (2026), (Farname Inc.). All rights reserved.