PeerJ. 2026 Apr 10;14:e21025. doi: 10.7717/peerj.21025. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is an emerging non-invasive therapy for breast fibroadenoma. However, its efficacy across different breast glandular types, which may influence acoustic energy deposition, remains underexplored.
OBJECTIVE: This study sought to investigate the treatment efficacy of ultrasound (US)-guided HIFU for breast fibroadenoma with respect to different breast gland types.
METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 201 patients (314 lesions) with biopsy-confirmed breast fibroadenomas treated between January 2024 and November 2024. Patients were stratified into four groups based on the American College of Radiology (ACR) breast composition classification: fatty group (<25% glandular tissue), loose group (25-50%), mixed group (51-75%), and dense group (>75%). All patients underwent ultrasound-guided HIFU ablation using the JC-200 system (Chongqing Haifu Medical Technology Co., Ltd., China). The baseline characteristics of patients, lesion features of fibroadenomas, relevant parameters during HIFU treatment, follow-up duration, and tumor volume reduction rate (VRR) were recorded and comparatively analyzed. Statistical analyses included One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with least significant difference (LSD)-t tests for pairwise comparisons.
RESULTS: The average surgical power in the loose group (142.8 ± 38.5 W) was significantly higher than that in the fatty group (128.7 ± 23.3 W), mixed group (128.8 ± 36.6 W), and dense group (121.4 ± 39.5 W), with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). The post-HIFU treatment average VRRs for the fatty, loose, mixed, and dense groups were 72.9 ± 16%, 61.6 ± 24%, 55 ± 22%, and 49 ± 32%, respectively. LSD-t test analysis revealed statistically significant differences between pairwise comparisons, including fatty vs. loose, fatty vs. mixed, fatty vs. dense, and loose vs. dense groups (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: HIFU is a safe and effective treatment for fibroadenomas across different breast gland types. The significantly superior VRR in fatty-type breasts underscores the critical role of preoperative breast gland typing in predicting HIFU outcomes. These findings advocate for the integration of breast density assessment into clinical decision-making to optimize individualized HIFU treatment planning for benign breast tumors.
PMID:41983234 | PMC:PMC13075401 | DOI:10.7717/peerj.21025
