• Dian-Xia Men, Hui-Zhan Li, Juan Dong, Meng-Hua Xue, Zhi-Fen Wang, Wen-Li Xiao, Ji-Ping Xue, and Mei-Hong Jia.
• Department of Ultrasonographl, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China.
• Ann. Med. 2025 Dec 1; 57 (1): 24430412443041.

ObjectiveTo explore the differences of conventional ultrasound characteristics, elastic imaging parameters and clinicopathological characteristics of distinct molecular subtypes of breast cancer in young women, and to identify imaging parameters that exhibited significant associations with each molecular subtype.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis encompassing 310 young women with breast cancer. Observations were made regarding the ultrasonography and elastography characteristics of the identified breast lesions. Subsequently, based on immunohistochemistry results patients were classified into five distinct molecular subtypes: luminal A, luminal B (HER2-), luminal B (HER2+), HER2+, and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Clinical, pathological, and ultrasound imaging features were compared among these subtypes using binary logistic regression analysis.ResultsStatistically significant differences were observed in various parameters across the five molecular subtypes (p < 0.05), including tumor size, morphology, margins, calcification, posterior echo features, blood flow (Adler grading), and tumor hardness. Specifically, luminal A subtype exhibited propensity for spiculated margins, lower blood flow grading, and decreased hardness; luminal B subtype was characterized by angular margins; HER2+ subtype manifested higher blood flow grading, calcification, and elevated hardness. Conversely, TNBC subtype displayed smooth margins, absence of calcification, and heightened hardness.ConclusionSpecific molecular subtypes of breast cancer have unique ultrasonic and elastic imaging characteristics.

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