The value of diffusion-weighted MRI to evaluate the response to radiochemotherapy for cervical cancer

To investigate the value of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) to predict and monitor the therapy response for cervical cancer patients receiving concurrent radiochemotherapy, and to analyze the influence of different b-value combinations on ADC-based evaluation of treatment response.

Seventy-five cervical cancer patients treated with radiochemotherapy received conventional MRI and DWI prior to therapy, after 2 weeks of therapy, after four weeks of therapy and after therapy completion. Treatment response was classified as complete response (CR, n=35), partial response (PR, n=22) and stable disease (SD, n=18), which was determined according to final tumor size after 6 months of therapy completion. Dynamic changes of apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) and tumor size in the three tumor groups were observed and compared. All the ADCs were calculated from b=0, 600s/mm(2) and b=0, 1000s/mm(2).

The ADC increased percentage was higher in CR group than those in PR and SD groups after two weeks and four weeks of therapy, with significant differences in absolute ADCs between CR and PR, SD groups after therapy completion; the overall discriminatory capability for differentiation of CR and PR, SD groups was higher for high b-value combination (0, 1000s/mm(2)) than for low b-value combination (0, 600s/mm(2)).

DWI can be used as a predictive and monitoring biomarker of treatment response to radiochemotherapy in patients with cervical cancer. High b-value combination may be more reliable to evaluate the treatment response for cervical cancer.