Evidence mapPaperPMID 41283243Full record

ArticleMedical sciences (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Virtual Biomarkers and Simplified Metrics in the Modeling of Breast Cancer Neoadjuvant Therapy: A Proof-of-Concept Case Study Based on Diagnostic Imaging.

Graziella Marino, Maria Valeria De Bonis, Marisabel Mecca, Marzia Sichetti, Aldo Cammarota, Manuela Botte, Giuseppina Dinardo, Maria Imma Lancellotti, Antonio Villonio, Antonella Prudente and 8 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Graziella MarinoBreast Cancer Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico della Basilicata (IRCCS-CROB), 85028 Rionero in Vulture, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-8491-0030
Maria Valeria De BonisInitiatives for Bio-Material Behaviour (Ibmb), 85100 Potenza, Italy.
Marisabel MeccaLaboratory of Preclinical and Translational Research, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico della Basilicata (IRCCS-CROB), 85028 Rionero in Vulture, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-2100-6981
Marzia SichettiLaboratory of Preclinical and Translational Research, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico della Basilicata (IRCCS-CROB), 85028 Rionero in Vulture, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-3046-7691
Aldo CammarotaDiagnostic and Imaging Department, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico Della Basilicata (IRCCS-CROB), 85028 Rionero in Vulture, Italy.
Manuela BotteDiagnostic and Imaging Department, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico Della Basilicata (IRCCS-CROB), 85028 Rionero in Vulture, Italy.
Giuseppina DinardoDiagnostic and Imaging Department, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico Della Basilicata (IRCCS-CROB), 85028 Rionero in Vulture, Italy.
Maria Imma LancellottiDiagnostic and Imaging Department, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico Della Basilicata (IRCCS-CROB), 85028 Rionero in Vulture, Italy.
Antonio VillonioDiagnostic and Imaging Department, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico Della Basilicata (IRCCS-CROB), 85028 Rionero in Vulture, Italy.
Antonella PrudenteMedical Oncology Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico Della Basilicata (IRCCS-CROB), 85028 Rionero in Vulture, Italy.
Alexios ThodasBreast Cancer Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico della Basilicata (IRCCS-CROB), 85028 Rionero in Vulture, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-8961-2294
Emanuela ZifaroneTrial Office, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico della Basilicata (IRCCS-CROB), 85028 Rionero in Vulture, Italy.
Francesca SanseverinoUnit of Gynecologic Oncology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico della Basilicata (IRCCS-CROB), 85028 Rionero in Vulture, Italy.
Pasqualina ModanoEmergency and Palliative Care Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico della Basilicata (IRCCS-CROB), 85028 Rionero in Vulture, Italy.
Francesco SchettiniMedical Oncology Department, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0001-6561-1919
Andrea RoccaDepartment of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Cattinara Hospital, 34128 Trieste, Italy.
Daniele GeneraliDepartment of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Cattinara Hospital, 34128 Trieste, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-2480-3855
Gianpaolo RuoccoInitiatives for Bio-Material Behaviour (Ibmb), 85100 Potenza, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-5342-3208

Funding

Italian Ministry of Health 2785898
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNeoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is a standard preoperative intervention for early-stage breast cancer (BC). Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) has emerged as a critical tool for evaluating treatment response and pathological complete response (pCR) following NAC. Computational modeling offers a robust framework to simulate tumor growth dynamics and therapy response, leveraging patient-specific data to enhance predictive accuracy. Despite this potential, integrating imaging data with computational models for personalized treatment prediction remains underexplored. This case study presents a proof-of-concept prognostic tool that bridges oncology, radiology, and computational modeling by simulating BC behavior and predicting individualized NAC outcomes.

methodsCE-MRI scans, clinical assessments, and blood samples from three retrospective NAC patients were analyzed. Tumor growth was modeled using a system of partial differential equations (PDEs) within a reaction-diffusion mass transfer framework, incorporating patient-specific CE-MRI data. Tumor volumes measured pre- and post-treatment were compared with model predictions. A 20% error margin was applied to assess computational accuracy.

resultsAll cases were classified as true positive (TP), demonstrating the model's capacity to predict tumor volume changes within the defined threshold, achieving 100% precision and sensitivity. Absolute differences between predicted and observed tumor volumes ranged from 0.07 to 0.33 cm

conclusionsThis approach demonstrates the feasibility of integrating CE-MRI and computational modeling to generate patient-specific treatment predictions. Preliminary model training on retrospective cohorts with matched BC subtypes and therapy regimens enabled accurate prediction of NAC outcomes. Future work will focus on model refinement, cohort expansion, and enhanced statistical validation to support broader clinical translation.

Indexed as

Biomarkers, TumorBreast NeoplasmsNeoadjuvant TherapyComputer SimulationFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMiddle AgedProof of Concept StudyRetrospective StudiesBiomarkers, Tumorbiomarkerbreast cancercomputational prognosisdiagnostic imagingmultidimensional modelingneoadjuvant therapyreactive–diffusive modeling

Identifiers

PMID41283243
PMCPMC12641639

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.