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Updated: May 23, 2026

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Assessment of Carcinogen-induced Murine Bladder Tumors
Published on: March 29, 2019
Role of magnetic resonance imaging in bladder cancer: current status and emerging techniques
David A Green1, Matthieu Durand, Naveen Gumpeni
1Department of Urology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, NY, USA.
Objectives:
To evaluate the current status of magnetic resonance imaging (MR) as a staging tool for bladder cancer. To investigate the role of MR in assessing chemotherapeutic response in bladder cancer patients.
Patients And Methods:
A Pubmed/MEDLINE search was conducted to identify original articles, review articles, and editorials regarding the use of MR in bladder cancer.
Results:
Contrast-enhanced MR and diffusion weighted MR (DW-MRI) can likely distinguish between non-muscle invasive bladder cancer and muscle invasive cancer with >80% accuracy. Some advantages of DW-MRI are the differentiation of benign versus malignant tissue involvement without the need for intravenous contrast, and the possibility of obtaining information on histologic grade and T stage. Traditional MR sequence have low sensitivity for identifying small lymph node metastases but MR lymphography (MRL) using ultra-small paramagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) may enhance their detectin. There may be a role for DW-MRI in the evaluation of chemotherapeutic response in bladder cancer patients.
Conclusion:
To date, sample sizes and study designs are insufficient to clearly establish the role of MR in bladder cancer management, and to this end, well designed prospective trials are needed.
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Description of the Procedures
Computed Tomography (CT) scan:
Computed Tomography (CT) scans use X-ray technology to generate detailed images of bones, organs, and tissues. During the scan, the patient lies on a moving table...

