Clinical utility of quantitative ultrasonography parameters combined with serum cancer antigen 15‑3, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 and soluble E‑cadherin in diagnosing mass‑type breast cancer.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS), a newly developed imaging technique, holds certain value in differentiating benign from malignant tumors. Additionally, serum tumor markers also exhibit significant clinical importance in the diagnosis and monitoring of malignant tumors. Reports have indicated abnormal expression of HER-2, CA153 and sE-cad in breast cancer. Early diagnosis of breast cancer facilitates early clinical intervention and enhances the overall quality of life for patients. Therefore, this study aims to explore the clinical value of quantitative CEUS parameters combined with serum levels of CA153, HER-2 and sE-cad in diagnosing mass-type breast cancer. In total, 49 patients with breast cancer (breast cancer group) and 56 patients with benign breast tumors (benign group) were selected as the study participants, while 50 healthy women served as the control group. Ultrasonography was performed on the patients in the breast cancer and benign groups using diagnostic color Doppler ultrasonography. The serum CA15-3, HER-2 and sE-cad levels in all three study groups were measured using a fully automated electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Pearson's correlation test was used to analyze the correlation between the quantitative ultrasonography parameters and serum CA15-3, HER-2 and sE-cad levels. Logistic multivariate regression analysis was performed to analyze the independent risk factors, and a receiver operating characteristic curve was plotted to assess the diagnostic value of these factors. The peak intensity (PI), wash-in slope (WIS), gradient (Grad) and local mean transit time (mTTI), along with the CA15-3, HER-2 and sE-cad levels in the breast cancer group were significantly higher, and the time to peak (TTP) was significantly lower, compared with those values in the benign and control groups. CA15-3, HER-2 and sE-cad were negatively correlated with TTP in the breast cancer group (all P<0.05) and positively correlated with PI, WIS, Grad and mTTI (all P<0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) values for CA15-3, HER-2, sE-cad, PI, WIS, Grad, mTTI and TTP for the diagnosis of malignant breast cancer were 0.640, 0.730, 0.687, 0.683, 0.692, 0.737, 0.697 and 0.671, respectively. The AUC for the combined diagnosis was 0.919, with a sensitivity of 0.857 and a specificity of 0.911, outperforming each index alone for a single diagnosis. Logistic multivariate regression analysis revealed that HER-2, TTP, PI, WI and Grad were independent risk factors for malignant breast cancer. In conclusion, combining the quantitative ultrasonography parameters with the CA15-3, HER-2 and sE-cad levels facilitated the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast lesions, and may provide a reference for clinical treatment in the future.