MRI sequences for the detection of individual lymph nodes in regional breast radiotherapy planning

Objective:In regional radiotherapy (RT) for patients with breast cancer, lymph node (LN) targets are delineated on CT, defined by anatomical boundaries. By identifying individual LNs, MRI-based delineations may reduce target volumes and thereby toxicity. We optimized MRI sequences for this purpose. Our aim was to evaluate the techniques for LN delineation in RT planning.Methods:Supine MRI was explored at 1.5 T in RT position (arms in abduction). 5 MRI techniques were optimized in 10 and evaluated in 12 healthy female volunteers. The scans included one T1 weighted (T1w), three T2 weighted (T2w) and a diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) technique. Quantitative evaluation was performed by scoring LN numbers per volunteer and per scan. Qualitatively, scans were assessed on seven aspects, including LN contrast, anatomical information and insensitivity to motion during acquisition.Results:Two T2w fast spin-echo (FSE) methods showed the highest LN numbers (median 24 axillary), high contrast, excellent fat suppressi...