Diagnosed chest lesion on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance images using apparent diffusion coefficients

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Oncology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Accurate differential diagnosis of thoracic mass lesions is crucial for effective patient management.
• Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides valuable information about tissue microstructure.
• Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values are commonly used, but their standard deviation (SD) may offer additional diagnostic utility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of the standard deviation (SD) of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values derived from DWI MRI for the differential diagnosis of primary chest cancers, metastatic tumors, and benign tumors.
• To compare the diagnostic performance of SD of ADC values against conventional ADC values in classifying thoracic lesions.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of 29 thoracic mass lesions in 27 patients who underwent chest MRI was conducted.
• Lesions were categorized into primary lung cancers, esophageal cancers, metastatic tumors, benign tumors, and inflammatory lesions.
• Standard deviation (SD) of ADC values and conventional ADC values were calculated for each lesion. Statistical analyses included t-tests and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis with area under the curve (AUC) calculation.

Main Results:

• The mean SD of ADC values significantly differed between primary lung cancers and metastatic tumors (P < 0.05), with an AUC of 0.800.
• Malignant chest tumors (primary lung cancers, esophageal cancers) showed significantly higher mean SD of ADC values compared to benign tumors (P < 0.01), yielding an AUC of 0.967.
• Conventional ADC values did not show significant differences among primary lung cancers, metastatic tumors, and benign tumors (P > 0.05).

Conclusions:

• The standard deviation (SD) of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values obtained from diffusion-weighted (DWI) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a promising quantitative biomarker for the differential diagnosis of chest lesions.
• SD of ADC values can effectively distinguish between malignant and benign thoracic tumors, offering a valuable tool for clinical decision-making.
• This metric demonstrates superior performance compared to conventional ADC values in differentiating these tumor types.