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Association between Transillumination Breast Spectroscopy and Quantitative Mammographic Features of the Breast

¹ Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital; ² Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto; ³ Ontario Cancer Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Requests for reprints: Kristina M. Blackmore, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, 60 Murray Street, Box 18, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 3L9. Phone: 416-586-1588; Fax: 416-586-8404. E-mail: blackmore{at}mshri.on.ca

Transillumination breast spectroscopy (TiBS) uses nonionizing optical radiation to gain information about tissue properties directly from the breast. TiBS measurements were obtained from 225 women with normal mammograms. Principal component analysis was used to reduce the spectral data set into four principal components and to generate four TiBS scores (t₁-t₄) for each woman. These components and scores represent light scattering, water, lipid, and hemoglobin content. Percent density, dense area, and nondense area were measured using Cumulus. The association between TiBS scores and quantitative mammographic features was analyzed using linear regression stratified by menopausal status and adjusted for body mass index. Among premenopausal women, t₁ and t₃ were significantly associated with percent density (β_t1 = –0.14, P = 0.04; β_t3 = –2.43, P < 0.0001), whereas t₂ and t₃ were significantly associated with dense area (β_t2 = –1.57, P < 0.0001; β_t3 = –2.54, P < 0.0001). Among postmenopausal women, t₁, t₃, and t₄ were significantly associated with percent density (β_t1 = –0.30, P < 0.0001; β_t3 = –2.51, P < 0.0001; β_t4 = 4.75, P < 0.0001) and dense area (β_t1 = –0.19, P = 0.004; β_t3 = –2.13, P = 0.002; β_t4 = 5.02, P < 0.0001). Scores t₂ and t₄ were also significantly correlated with age among postmenopausal women (r_t2 = 0.41 and r_t4 = –0.36). Given the association with quantitative mammographic features and tissue changes related to age and menopause, TiBS scores may prove useful as intermediate markers in studies of breast cancer etiology and prevention. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(5):1043–50)