Influence of different post-contrast time points on dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI T staging in breast cancer

•MD measured at TP1 was significantly different from those obtained at TPs 2-5.•T stage definition of BCLs is influenced by the TP used for MD measurement.•TPs 3, 4 and 5 are the preferred TPs for the assessment of T stage of BCLs.•Both axial and sagittal planes are useful for MD measurements of BCLs. to assess whether MRI T stage of breast cancer lesions (BCLs) is affected by maximum diameter (MD) measured at different post-contrast time points (TPs) on different acquisition planes on dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI sequence. 53 DCE-MRI examinations of patients with BCLs were retrospectively selected. MD of BCLs was measured on axial, coronal and sagittal planes on DCE images at five different post-contrast TPs. Friedman test followed by Bonferroni-adjusted Wilcoxon-signed rank test for post-hoc analysis was performed to evaluate differences among the five measurements. Reliability of the measurements was evaluated with the intraclass correlation coefficient analysis. Differences between pathological and MRI T stage assessed at each TP on each acquisition plane were assessed using the Wilcoxon-sign rank test; p values