MRI in differentiation of benign and malignant tongue tumors

The differential diagnosis of benign and malignant tongue tumors is crucial to treatment and prognosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the preferred modality for the evaluation of tongue carcinomas. Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI can reflect the density, integrity, and leakiness of tumor vasculature, and the time-intensity curve (TIC) patterns derived from DCE-MRI results can differentiate benign from malignant tumors based on differences in vascular structure. Diffusion-weighted (DW)-MRI is based on the random thermal motion of water molecules and can provide information on the cellular and tissue microstructure of the tumor. A low apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) derived from DW-MRIs may indicate a malignant tumor. Thus, ADC values and TIC parameters yield complementary information on tumors that may improve diagnostic accuracy. Indeed, the combination of DCE-MRI and DW-MRI is a comprehensive reflection of the pathological status of the tongue tumor, so utilization of these MRI modalities may facilitate the diagnostic differentiation of benign from malignant tumors of the tongue.