Minimum apparent diffusion coefficient for predicting lymphovascular invasion in invasive cervical cancer

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Oncology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) is a critical prognostic factor in invasive cervical cancer (CC).
• Accurate preoperative prediction of LVI is essential for optimal treatment planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic performance of minimum apparent diffusion coefficient (mini-ADC) for predicting LVI in invasive CC.
• To compare mini-ADC and mini-ADC ratio with conventional tumor ADC for LVI prediction.

Main Methods:

• Ninety-six patients with invasive CC underwent 3.0T MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).
• Tumor ADC, mini-ADC, and mini-ADC ratio were calculated and compared between LVI-positive and LVI-negative groups.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine diagnostic performance.

Main Results:

• Mini-ADC and mini-ADC ratio were significantly lower in LVI-positive CC compared to LVI-negative CC (P < 0.001).
• The mini-ADC ratio achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.970 with 78% sensitivity and 100% specificity.
• A negative correlation was found between mini-ADC and LVI status (r = -0.582, P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Mini-ADC is a simple and effective tool for predicting LVI in invasive CC.
• The mini-ADC ratio demonstrates superior performance in discriminating between LVI-positive and LVI-negative invasive CC.