Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 26, 2026
Multianimal Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Tumor Measurements in Pancreatic Cancer Mouse Models
Published on: February 3, 2026
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma: MRI conspicuity and pathologic correlations
Laurence Legrand1, Véronique Duchatelle, Vincent Molinié
1Radiology Department, Fondation Hôpital Saint-Joseph, 185 rue Raymond Losserand, 75014, Paris, France, legrand.lau@gmail.com.
Purpose:
To identify the MRI sequences producing the greatest pancreatic adenocarcinoma conspicuity and to assess correlations linking MRI signal intensity and apparent diffusion coefficient to histopathological findings.
Methods:
We retrospectively included 22 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma who underwent MRI (1.5 or 3 T) before surgical resection. Fat-suppressed (FS) T1- and T2-weighted sequences; 3D FS dynamic T1-weighted gadolinium-enhanced gradient-echo (GRE) imaging at the arterial, portal, and delayed phases; and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with b values of 600-800 s/mm(2) were reviewed. On each sequence, we assessed tumor conspicuity both qualitatively (3-point scale) and quantitatively (tumor-to-proximal and -distal pancreas contrast ratios), and we performed paired Wilcoxon tests to compare these data across sequences. We evaluated correlations between histopathological characteristics and MRI features.
Results:
21/22 (95%) tumors were hypointense by 3D FS T1 GRE arterial phase imaging, which produced the greatest tumor conspicuity (p ≤ 0.02). By DWI, 5/20 (25%) of tumors were isointense. The correlation between size by histology and MRI was strongest with DWI. A progressive enhancement pattern was associated with extensive and dense fibrous stroma (p ≤ 0.03).
Conclusions:
3D FS T1 GRE arterial phase imaging produces greater pancreatic adenocarcinoma conspicuity compared to DWI but underestimates tumor size. DWI provides the best size evaluation but fails to delineate the tumor in one-fourth of cases.
