Fast whole-body assessment of metastatic disease using a novel magnetic resonance imaging system: initial experiences

The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical use of a novel whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system for comprehensive assessment of tumor spread in clinical routine.

Sixty-five patients with different tumors with known metastatic disease and 6 healthy volunteers were included. High-resolution MRI from head to toe was performed using multiple phased-array surface coil elements, 24 independent receiver channels, and an integrated parallel acquisition technique (iPAT). A total room time of less than 60 minutes was required. Whole-body MRI and conventional spiral computed tomography (CT) were independently evaluated and compared in terms of feasibility, location/number of detected metastases, and therapeutic relevance.

Whole-body MRI was successfully performed in 68 of 71 subjects. Compared with CT, more metastases were detected by MRI in 11 of 63 patients (17%), particularly in brain, liver, spleen, lymph nodes, bone marrow, muscle, and subcutaneous fat tissue. According to these findings, therapy had to be modified in 6 of 63 patients (10%).

High-resolution whole-body MRI is feasible in clinical routine within 1 single examination and offers great potential for fast assessment of individual tumor spread and total tumor burden.