Abstract
Background. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW–MRI) has been employed in the diagnostics of malignant tumors of abdomen and pelvis relatively recently. Nowadays, there exists a particular interest in adaptation DW–MRI for assessing the response of tumors to chemoradiaton therapy. The aim of our study was to compare the mean value of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in a healthy cervix, cancer-affected cervix and a cervix after chemoradiation therapy, as well as to identify the ADC range typical of cervical cancer.
Materials and methods. The study enrolled 108 female patients who underwent pelvic MRI in the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics Hospital in 2008–2010. The study group consisted of 65 patients in whom cervical cancer had been clinically suspected and confirmed by biopsy before MRI examination. All these patients underwent pelvic MRI twice: before the chemoradiation therapy and 6 months after the therapy. The control group consisted of 43 patients in whom cervical cancer had been not suspected and MRI was performed because of other pelvic diseases.
Results. The mean ADC value of the study group (0.658 ± 0.118 × 10–3 mm2/s) was lower than of the control group (1.171 ± 0.143 × 10–3 mm2/s) (t = 20.315, p = 0.03). The ADC threshold value of 0.945 × 10–3 mm2/s was defined, differentiating the cancer-affected cervical tissue from the normal. The mean ADC value of the patients who responded to chemoradiation therapy (1.111 ± 0.138 × 10–3 mm2/s) increased and in those who did not respond it remained lower (0.733 ± 0.073 × 10–3 mm2/s) (t = 9.518, p = 0.04). The ADC threshold value of 0.830 × 10–3 mm2/s was defined, differentiating the residual tumor tissue from the healthy cervical tissue after chemoradiation therapy.
Conclusions. The ADC value in the case of cervical cancer was significantly lower than in the non-affected cervical tissue. The ADC value increases after effective chemoradiation therapy and becomes closer to the coefficient value of non-affected cervical tissue, but still remains lower. The 0.945 × 10–3 mm2/s ADC threshold was detected while differentiating between cancer-affected and normal cervical tissues, while the ADC threshold was 0.830 × 10–3 mm2/s when differentiating between residual tumor tissue and healthy cervical tissue after chemoradiation therapy at a high sensitivity and specificity.
Keywords: diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, apparent diffusion coefficient, cervical cancer, chemoradiation therapy
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Most read articles by the same author(s)
-
Megan Blake,
Ruth Roadley-Battin,
Tomasz Torlinski,
Prophylactic anti-coagulation after severe burn injury in critical care settings
,
Acta medica Lituanica: Vol. 26 No. 1 (2019): Acta Medica Lituanica
-
Gerda Čėsnaitė,
Gintautas Domža,
Diana Ramašauskaitė,
Jelena Volochovič,
Diana Bužinskienė,
Factors affecting the maternal-foetal relationship
,
Acta medica Lituanica: Vol. 26 No. 2 (2019): Acta Medica Lituanica
-
Jūratė Gudaitytė,
Dominykas Dvylys,
Indrė Šimeliūnaitė,
Anaesthetic challenges in cancer patients: current therapies and pain management
,
Acta medica Lituanica: Vol. 24 No. 2 (2017)
-
Austėja Voiniušytė,
Miglė Černiauskaitė,
Virginija Paliulytė,
Rūta Einikytė,
Diana Ramašauskaitė,
Vaccination Against COVID-19 Disease During Pregnancy
,
Acta medica Lituanica: Vol. 29 No. 1 (2022): Acta medica Lituanica
-
Živilė Gudlevičienė,
Raminta Baušytė,
Evelina Dagytė,
Danutė Balkelienė,
Algirdas Utkus,
Diana Ramašauskaitė,
The First Live Birth in Lithuania After Application of Preimplantation Genetic Testing
,
Acta medica Lituanica: Vol. 27 No. 2 (2020): Acta medica Lituanica
-
Mindaugas Stankūnas,
Kersti Pärna,
Anna Tisler,
Anda Ķīvīte-Urtāne,
Una Kojalo,
Jana Zodzika,
Nicholas Baltzer,
Jan Nygard,
Mari Nygard,
Anneli Uuskula,
Cervical Cancer in the Baltic States: Can Intelligent and Personalised Cancer Screening Change the Situation?
,
Acta medica Lituanica: Vol. 29 No. 1 (2022): Acta medica Lituanica
-
Olga Rimdenoka,
Māra Pilmane,
Evaluation of TGF-β1 and EGFR in Cleft Affected Lip Mucosa
,
Acta medica Lituanica: Vol. 28 No. 1 (2021): Acta medica Lituanica
-
Kazys MILAŠIUS,
Marija PEČIUKONIENĖ,
Rūta DADELIENĖ,
Juozas SKERNEVIČIUS,
Efficacy of the Tribulus food supplement used by athletes
,
Acta medica Lituanica: Vol. 17 No. 1-2 (2010)
-
Gabrielis KUNDROTAS,
Surface markers distinguishing mesenchymal stem cells from fibroblasts
,
Acta medica Lituanica: Vol. 19 No. 2 (2012)
-
Vladislav Lisovski,
Mindaugas Minderis,
Intraneural ganglion cyst: a case report and a review of the literature
,
Acta medica Lituanica: Vol. 26 No. 2 (2019): Acta Medica Lituanica