In vivo 3T and ex vivo 7T diffusion tensor imaging of prostate cancer: Correlation with histology

The purpose of this work was to test whether fractional anisotropy (FA) can contribute to the diagnosis and grading of prostate cancer. Turbo spin echo T2-weighted (T2W) and single shot echo planar imaging diffusion tensor imaging (EPI DTI) data were collected from 13 subjects with biopsy proven prostate cancer prior to surgical removal of the gland. Rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE) T2W and spin-echo DTI data were acquired ex-vivo from the fixed prostatectomy specimens. Digitized whole mount histology sections, examined and annotated by a pathologist, were registered to the in-vivo and ex-vivo DTI data, and the average values of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and FA were calculated from ROIs encompassing normal and cancerous peripheral zone (PZ). In addition, Monte Carlo simulations were carried out to assess the dependence of the apparent FA on the ADC values for different signal to noise ratios (SNRs). ADC values were significantly lower in tumors than in normal PZ both in-vivo and ex-vivo, while the difference in FA values between tumors and normal PZ was significant only in-vivo. Paired t-test showed significant difference between in-vivo and ex-vivo FA values in tumors, but not in the normal PZ. The simulations showed that lower SNR results in an increasing overestimation of the FA values with decreasing ADC. These results suggest that the in-vivo increase in FA values in tumors is due to low SNR, rather than the presence of cancer. The results of this study suggest that FA does not contribute significantly to the diagnostic capabilities of DTI in prostate cancer.