Amide proton transfer-weighted MRI for renal tumors: Comparison with diffusion-weighted imaging

Area of Science:

• Radiology and Medical Imaging
• Oncology
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Renal tumors present a diagnostic challenge, requiring accurate differentiation between benign and malignant types.
• Multiparametric MRI, including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), is utilized for renal tumor characterization.
• Novel MRI techniques are needed to improve diagnostic accuracy and patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of amide proton transfer-weighted (APTw) MRI in differentiating benign and malignant renal tumors.
• To determine if APTw MRI enhances diagnostic performance when combined with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).

Main Methods:

• Preoperative multiparametric MRI, incorporating APTw MRI and DWI, was performed on participants with renal tumors.
• APTw values and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were calculated for both benign and malignant tumors.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was employed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of APTw and ADC values.

Main Results:

• Malignant renal tumors exhibited significantly higher mean APTw values and lower mean ADC values compared to benign tumors.
• The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for APTw was 0.78, for ADC was 0.70, and for the combination was 0.79.
• APTw MRI demonstrated potential as an imaging biomarker for renal tumor classification.

Conclusions:

• APTw MRI shows potential as a non-invasive imaging biomarker for differentiating benign and malignant renal tumors.
• APTw MRI may add diagnostic value to conventional MRI techniques like DWI for renal tumor assessment.