Synthetic correlated diffusion imaging hyperintensity delineates clinically significant prostate cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Radiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Prostate cancer (PCa) is a leading cancer in men globally.
• Early detection significantly improves PCa prognosis.
• Current MRI techniques have limitations in PCa screening and delineation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate a novel MRI technique, synthetic correlated diffusion imaging (CDI[Formula: see text]), for PCa detection.
• To compare the performance of CDI[Formula: see text] against standard MRI methods (T2w, DWI, DCE) for PCa delineation.
• To assess CDI[Formula: see text] as a potential biomarker for PCa presence.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 200 patients with suspected PCa was studied.
• Synthetic correlated diffusion imaging (CDI[Formula: see text]) was applied.
• CDI[Formula: see text] results were compared with T2-weighted (T2w), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI.

Main Results:

• Hyperintensity in CDI[Formula: see text] strongly indicates the presence of PCa.
• CDI[Formula: see text] achieved superior delineation of clinically significant PCa compared to T2w, DWI, and DCE.
• The study represents the largest investigation of this CDI variant to date.

Conclusions:

• Synthetic correlated diffusion imaging (CDI[Formula: see text]) shows potential as a powerful biomarker for PCa.
• CDI[Formula: see text] may serve as a valuable diagnostic aid to enhance PCa screening.
• This advanced MRI technique could improve the accuracy and effectiveness of PCa detection.