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Published on: November 8, 2012
The QIBA Profile for Diffusion-Weighted MRI: Apparent Diffusion Coefficient as a Quantitative Imaging Biomarker.
Michael A Boss1, Dariya Malyarenko1, Savannah Partridge1
1From the Center for Research and Innovation, American College of Radiology, 50 S 16th St, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (M.A.B.); Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich (D.M., T.L.C.); Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash (S.P.); Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio (N.O.); Departments of Medical Physics and Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY (A.S.D.); The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK (J.M.W., N.M.d.S.); The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK (J.M.W., N.M.d.S.); Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Tex (C.D.F.); CaliberMRI, Boulder, Colo (K.M.); Department of Radiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Ala (V.M.); Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif (M.O., L.J.W.); Aim Medical Imaging, Vancouver, Canada (R.A.); Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo (T.A.); and Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY (D.J.M.).
Quantitative imaging biomarkers like apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) are crucial for monitoring disease. New guidelines establish benchmarks for ADC changes in brain, liver, prostate, and breast lesions, ensuring reliable treatment response assessment.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Biomarker Development
- Quantitative MRI
Background:
- Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) quantifies water mobility, reflecting tissue microstructure changes in disease and treatment.
- Standardized ADC measurement variance is essential for clinical implementation and reliable biomarker use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and update metrology benchmarks for mean lesion ADC change, accounting for measurement variance.
- To propose specific percentage thresholds for true ADC changes in various organs with 95% confidence.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on ADC repeatability and performance claims.
- Development of proposed updates for metrology benchmarks based on recent studies.
- Analysis of established ADC Profile stages and implementation workflows.
Main Results:
- Proposed benchmarks for true mean ADC change: 8% (brain), 27% (liver), 27% (prostate), and 15% (breast).
- These thresholds provide 95% confidence in detecting true changes, accounting for measurement variance.
Conclusions:
- The Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers Alliance (QIBA) ADC Profile guidelines facilitate clinical application of ADC.
- Standardized ADC measurements ensure reproducible assessments of longitudinal changes and treatment response.
