Prospective Study of Annual Whole-Body Magnetic Resonance Imaging as Part of a Multimodality Screening Program for...

Individuals with Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) are at risk of developing cancer in multiple organs and therefore require a multimodal screening program. We assessed the performance of annual whole-body noncontrast magnetic resonance imaging (WBMRI) in early cancer detection for individuals with LFS.

Individuals with a germline pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant in the TP53 gene (defined as LFS) and without cancer diagnosed or treated in the preceding 6 months were eligible to undergo annual noncontrast WBMRI. Clinical findings on WBMRI, follow-up studies, biopsies, and cancer incidence were prospectively assessed.

One hundred sixty-two participants with LFS (127 adult, 35 pediatric) underwent 477 WBMRIs; 119 (73%) underwent three or more. The median age at enrollment was 37 years; 75% of participants were female. Classic or Chompret diagnostic criteria for LFS were met for 68.5% of participants. Follow-up studies for findings on WBMRI were pursued for 55.6% of participants. Biopsies were performed in 18% of participants; 39.5% of 38 biopsies confirmed a cancer diagnosis. The rate of follow-up interventions decreased with consecutive WBMRIs. During the study period, of 37 cancers diagnosed in 33 participants, 15 (40.5%) were diagnosed by WBMRI; 86% (13 of 15) were asymptomatic, localized cancers treated with curative intent. The 22 cancers not diagnosed on WBMRI included five sarcomas; one each of adrenocortical, lung, thyroid, and renal cell carcinomas; and 13 cancers that WBMRI would not be expected to detect.

Annual WBMRI contributes substantially to the detection of asymptomatic localized cancers among individuals with LFS and is best used in conjunction with a multimodality approach endorsed by LFS guidelines. Our study highlights the need for further research to enhance early detection and interception of cancer in LFS.