In Vivo Imaging Markers for Prediction of Radiotherapy Response in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: RESOLVE DWI versus DKI

• Published in: Scientific reports 2018-10, Vol.8 (1), p.15861-8, Article 15861
• Main Authors: Huang, Wei-Yuan, Li, Meng-Meng, Lin, Shao-Min, Chen, Feng, Yang, Kai, Zhu, Xiao-Lei, Wu, Gang, Li, Jian-Jun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 59; 59/57; 692/699/3020; 692/699/67/2321; Diffusion coefficient; Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging (DKI); Humanities and Social Sciences; Image processing; Magnetic resonance imaging; Minimum Apparent Diffusion Coefficient; multidisciplinary; Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC); Patients; Predicts Radiation Response; Radiation therapy; Readout Segmentation; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Segmentation; Throat cancer
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-34072-9

In this prospective study, we compared the performance of readout segmentation of long variable echo trains of diffusion-weighted imaging (RESOLVE DWI) and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) for the prediction of radiotherapy response in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Forty-one patients with NPC were evaluated. All patients underwent conventional MRI, RESOLVE DWI and DKI, before and after radiotherapy. All patients underwent conventional MRI every 3 months until 1 year after radiotherapy. The patients were divided into response group (RG; 36/41 patients) and no-response group (NRG; 5/41 patients) based on follow-up results. DKI (the mean of kurtosis coefficient, Kmean and the mean of diffusion coefficient, Dmean) and RESOLVE DWI (the minimum apparent diffusion coefficient, ADC min ) parameters were calculated. Parameter values at the pre-treatment period, post-treatment period, and the percentage change between these 2 periods were obtained. All parameters differed between the RG and NRG groups except for the pretreatment Dmean and ADC min . Kmean-post was considered as an independent predictor of local control, with 87.5% sensitivity and 91.3% specificity (optimal threshold = 0.30, AUC: 0.924; 95% CI, 0.83–1.00). Kmean-post values of DKI have the potential to be used as imaging biomarkers for the early evaluation of treatment effects of radiotherapy on NPC.