Do DWI and quantitative DCE perfusion MR have a prognostic value in high-grade serous ovarian cancer?

To evaluate whether perfusion and diffusion parameters from staging MR in ovarian cancer (OC) patients may predict the presence of residual tumor at surgery and the progression-free survival (PFS) in 12 months.

Patients who are from a single institution, candidate for OC to cytoreductive surgery and undergoing MR for staging purposes were included in this study. Inclusion criteria were: preoperative MR including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and perfusion dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) sequence; cytoreductive surgery performed within a month from MR; and minimum follow-up of 12 months. Patients' characteristics including the presence of residual tumor at surgery (R0 or R1) and relapse within 12 months from surgery were recorded. DWI parameters included apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the largest ovarian mass (O-ADC) and normalized ovarian ADC as a ratio between ovarian ADC and muscle ADC (M-ADC). DCE quantitative parameters included were descriptors of tumor vascular properties such as forward and backward transfer constants, plasma volume and volume of extracellular space. Statistical analysis was performed, and p values < 0.05 were considered significant.

Forty-nine patients were included. M-ADC showed a slightly significant association with the presence of residual tumor at surgery. None of the other functional parameters showed either difference between R0 and R1 patients or association with PFS in the first 12 months.

This preliminary study demonstrated a slightly significant association between normalized ovarian ADC and the presence of residual tumor at surgery. The other perfusion and diffusion parameters were not significant for the endpoints of this study.