Evaluation of Diffusion Weighted Imaging in the Context of Multi-Parametric MRI of the Prostate in the assessment of suspected low volume prostatic carcinoma

Data from a multi-parameteric MRI study of patients with possible early-stage prostate cancer was assessed with a view to creating an efficient clinical protocol. Based on a correlation analysis suggesting that diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) scores are more strongly correlated with overall PIRADS scores than other modalities such as dynamic contrast enhanced imaging or spectroscopy, we investigate the combination of T2-weighted imaging (T2w) and DWI as a potential diagnostic tool for prostate cancer detection, staging and guided biopsies. Quantification of the noise floor in the DWI images and careful fitting of the data suggests that the mono-exponential model provides a very good fit to the data and there is no evidence of non-Guassian diffusion for b-values up to 1000s/mm2. This precludes the use of kurtosis or other non-Gaussian measures as a biomarker for prostate cancer in our case. However, the ADC scores for healthy and probably malignant regions are significantly lower for the latter in all 20 but one patient. The results suggest that a simplified mp-MRI protocol combining T2w and DWI may be a good compromise for a cost and time efficient, early-stage prostate cancer diagnostic programme, combining robust MR biomarkers for prostate cancer that can be reliably quantified and appear well-suited for general clinical practice.

Magnetic resonance imaging. 2017 Nov 25 [Epub ahead of print]

Ioannis Papadopoulos, Jonathan Phillips, Rhodri Evans, Neil Fenn, Sophie Shermer

College of Science (Physics), Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom. Electronic address: ., Institute of Life Science, Medical School, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom., Morriston hospital, Heol Maes Eglwys, Morriston, Swansea SA6 6NL., College of Science (Physics), Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom.