Value of diffusion-weighted MRI in diagnosis of uterine cervical cancer: a prospective study evaluating the benefits of DWI compared to conventional MR sequences in a 3T environment:

BackgroundImaging of cervical carcinoma remains challenging as local infiltration of surrounding tissues cannot always be discriminated safely. New imaging techniques, like diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) have emerged, which could lead to a more sensitive tumor detection.PurposeTo evaluate the benefits of DWI for determination of size, local infiltration, and tumor grading, in patients with primary and recurrent cervical cancer.Material and MethodsIn this prospective, study we enrolled 50 patients with primary (n = 35) and recurrent (n = 15) tumors. All patients underwent 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including conventional (e.g. T1/T2 ± fs ± contrast) sequences and DWI (b-values of 0, 50, 400, 800 s/mm2). All images were analyzed by three readers with different experience levels (1, 3, 6 years), who compared image quality, tumor delineation, dimensions, local infiltration, lymph node involvement, and quantified ADC values compared to the histopathological grading.ResultsAdditional use of DWI resul...