Table 2 Paired t-test results comparing tissue parameters for the 36 suspicious breast lesions ('tumor') versus normal breast parenchyma within the ipsilateral breast ('reference')

Averaged [S_tO₂] – baseline (%)

Tumor/reference

88.7 ± 8.9/92.8 ± 5.7

<0.001

Averaged [Hbt] – baseline (μM)

Tumor/reference

11.0 ± 6.0/9.0 ± 5.0

<0.001

Relative [S_tO₂] contrast – baseline (%)

Tumor/reference

3.6 ± 3.7/2.3 ± 1.1

0.03

Relative [Hbt] contrast – baseline (%)

Tumor/reference

15.3 ± 8.8/12.8 ± 7.0

0.04

Averaged [S_tO₂] – compression peak (%)

Tumor/reference

87.7 ± 10.0/91.7 ± 7.1

<0.001

Averaged [Hbt] – compression peak (μM)

Tumor/reference

10.0 ± 6.0/8.0 ± 4.0

<0.001

Relative [S_tO₂] contrast – compression peak (%)

Tumor/reference

4.0 ± 3.7/2.8 ± 1.7

0.01

Relative [Hbt] contrast – compression peak (%)

Tumor/reference

15.5 ± 9.8/13.9 ± 10.0

0.2

Variation in differential [S_tO₂] (%)

Tumor/reference

-0.5 ± 1.7/-0.4 ± 0.9

0.96

Variation in differential [Hbt] (%)

Tumor/reference

-0.2 ± 4.6/-1.2 ± 4.6

0.23