Voxelwise analysis of simultaneously acquired and spatially correlated 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET and intravoxel incoherent motion metrics in breast cancer

Tri-Compartmental Restriction Spectrum Imaging Based on 18F-FDG PET/MR for Identification of Primary Benign and Malignant Lung Lesions

BACKGROUND

Restriction spectrum imaging (RSI), as an advanced quantitative diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging technique, has the potential to distinguish primary benign and malignant lung lesions.

OBJECTIVE

To explore how well the tri-compartmental RSI performs in distinguishing primary benign from malignant lung lesions compared with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and to further explore whether positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) can improve diagnostic efficacy.

STUDY TYPE

Prospective.

POPULATION

137 patients, including 108 malignant and 29 benign lesions (85 males, 52 females; average age = 60.0 ± 10.0 years).

FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE

T2WI, T1WI, multi-b value DWI, MR-based attenuation correction, and PET imaging on a 3.0 T whole-body PET/MR system.

ASSESSMENT

The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), RSI-derived parameters (restricted diffusionf 1 $$ {f}_1 $$ , hindered diffusionf 2 $$ {f}_2 $$ , and free diffusionf 3 $$ {f}_3 $$ ) and the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) were calculated and analyzed for diagnostic efficacy individually or in combination.

STATISTICAL TESTS

Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, Delong test, Spearman's correlation analysis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Thef 1 $$ {f}_1 $$ , SUVmax were significantly higher, andf 3 $$ {f}_3 $$ , ADC were significantly lower in the malignant group [0.717 ± 0.131, 9.125 (5.753, 13.058), 0.194 ± 0.099, 1.240 (0.972, 1.407)] compared to the benign group [0.504 ± 0.236, 3.390 (1.673, 6.030), 0.398 ± 0.195, 1.485 ± 0.382]. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) values ranked from highest to lowest as follows: AUC (SUVmax) > AUC (f 3 $$ {f}_3 $$ ) > AUC (f 1 $$ {f}_1 $$ ) > AUC (ADC) > AUC (f 2 $$ {f}_2 $$ ) (AUC = 0.819, 0.811, 0.770, 0.745, 0549). The AUC (AUC = 0.900) of the combined model of RSI with PET was significantly higher than that of either single-modality imaging.

CONCLUSION

RSI-derived parameters (f 1 $$ {f}_1 $$ ,f 3 $$ {f}_3 $$ ) might help to distinguish primary benign and malignant lung lesions and the discriminatory utility off 2 $$ {f}_2 $$ was not observed. The RSI exhibits comparable or potentially enhanced performance compared with DWI, and the combined RSI and PET model might improve diagnostic efficacy.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2

TECHNICAL EFFICACY

Stage 2.

Voxel-Based Analysis of the Relation of 3'-Deoxy-3'-[18F]fluorothymidine ([18F]FLT) PET and Diffusion-Weighted (DW) MR Signals in Subcutaneous Tumor Xenografts Does Not Reveal a Direct Spatial Relation of These Two Parameters

PURPOSE

Multimodal molecular imaging allows a direct coregistration of different images, facilitating analysis of the spatial relation of various imaging parameters. Here, we further explored the relation of proliferation, as measured by [18F]FLT PET, and water diffusion, as an indicator of cellular density and cell death, as measured by diffusion-weighted (DW) MRI, in preclinical tumor models. We expected these parameters to be negatively related, as highly proliferative tissue should have a higher density of cells, hampering free water diffusion.

PROCEDURES

Nude mice subcutaneously inoculated with either lung cancer cells (n = 11 A549 tumors, n = 20 H1975 tumors) or colorectal cancer cells (n = 13 Colo205 tumors) were imaged with [18F]FLT PET and DW-MRI using a multimodal bed, which was transferred from one instrument to the other within the same imaging session. Fiducial markers allowed coregistration of the images. An automatic post-processing was developed in MATLAB handling the spatial registration of DW-MRI (measured as apparent diffusion coefficient, ADC) and [18F]FLT image data and subsequent voxel-wise analysis of regions of interest (ROIs) in the tumor.

RESULTS

Analyses were conducted on a total of 76 datasets, comprising a median of 2890 data points (ranging from 81 to 13,597). Scatterplots showing [18F]FLT vs. ADC values displayed various grades of relations (Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) varied from - 0.58 to 0.49, median: -0.07). When relating PCC to tumor volume (median: 46 mm3, range: 3 mm3 to 584 mm3), lung tumors tended to have a more pronounced negative spatial relation of [18F]FLT and ADC with increasing tumor size. However, due to the low number of large tumors (> ~ 200 mm3), this conclusion has to be treated with caution.

CONCLUSIONS

A spatial relation of water diffusion, as measured by DW-MRI, and cellular proliferation, as measured by [18F]FLT PET, cannot be detected in the experimental datasets investigated in this study.

Clinical advances in PET-MRI for breast cancer

Imaging is paramount for the early detection and clinical staging of breast cancer, as well as to inform management decisions and direct therapy. PET-MRI is a quantitative hybrid imaging technology that combines metabolic and functional PET data with anatomical detail and functional perfusion information from MRI. The clinical applicability of PET-MRI for breast cancer is an active area of research. In this Review, we discuss the rationale and summarise the clinical evidence for the use of PET-MRI in the diagnosis, staging, prognosis, tumour phenotyping, and assessment of treatment response in breast cancer. The continued development and approval of targeted radiopharmaceuticals, together with radiomics and automated analysis tools, will further expand the opportunity for PET-MRI to provide added value for breast cancer imaging and patient care.

Application of Simultaneous 18 F-FDG PET With Monoexponential, Biexponential, and Stretched Exponential Model-Based Diffusion-Weighted MR Imaging in Assessing the Proliferation Status of Lung Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Ki-67 proliferation index (PI) is important for providing information on tumor behavior, treatment response, and prognosis. Integrated positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) may have the potential to assess Ki-67 PI in patients with lung adenocarcinoma.

PURPOSE

To explore the value of simultaneous ¹⁸ F-fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸ F-FDG) PET/MR-derived parameters in assessing the proliferation status of lung adenocarcinoma and to determine the best combination of parameters.

STUDY TYPE

Prospective.

POPULATION

Seventy-eight patients with lung adenocarcinoma and with Ki-67 PI.

FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE

3.0 T, simultaneous PET/MRI including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and ¹⁸ F-FDG PET.

ASSESSMENT

DWI-derived parameters, namely, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), true diffusion coefficient (D), pseudo diffusion coefficient (D*), perfusion fraction (f), diffusion heterogeneity index (α), and distributed diffusion coefficient (DDC); and PET-derived parameters, namely, maximum standardized uptake value (SUV_max ), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolytic volume (TLG), were calculated and compared between the high (>25%) and low (≤25%) Ki-67 PI groups. The correlations between PET-derived parameters and DWI-derived parameters were analyzed.

STATISTICAL TESTS

Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

The SUV_max , MTV, TLG, ADC, D, and DDC values were significantly different between the high (N = 35) and low Ki-67 PI groups (N = 43). D, SUV_max , and MTV independently predicted the Ki-67 PI status. The combination of D, SUV_max , and MTV had the largest area under the ROC curve (AUC = 0.900), which was significantly larger than the AUC alone of DDC (AUC = 0.725), SUV_max (AUC = 0.815), MTV (AUC = 0.774), or TLG (AUC = 0.783). The perfusion fraction did not correlate with SUV_max , MTV, or TLG (r = -0.03, -0.11, and -0.04, respectively; P = 0.786, 0.348, and 0.733).

DATA CONCLUSION

The combination of D, SUV_max , and MTV may predict Ki-67 PI status. No correlation was observed between perfusion parameters and metabolic parameters.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Value of integrated PET-IVIM MR in assessing metastases in hypermetabolic pelvic lymph nodes in cervical cancer: a multi-parameter study

PURPOSE

To evaluate the value of integrated multi-parameter positron emission tomography-intravoxel incoherent motion magnetic resonance (PET-IVIM MR) imaging for pelvic lymph nodes with high FDG uptake in cervical cancer, and to determine the best combination of parameters.

METHODS

A total of 38 patients with 59 lymph nodes with high FDG uptake were included. The imaging parameters of the lymph nodes were calculated by PET-IVIM MR, and the differences between lymph nodes diagnosed by postoperative pathology as metastasis versus non-metastasis were compared. We used the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and logistic regression to construct a combination prediction model to filter low value and similar parameters, in order to search the optimal combination of PET/MR parameters for predicting pathologically confirmed metastatic lymph nodes. The correlation between diffusion parameters and metabolic parameters was analyzed by Spearman's rank correlation.

RESULTS

The maximum standardized uptake value (SUV_max), mean standardized uptake value (SUV_mean), total metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), diffusion-related coefficient (D), and perfusion-related parameter (F) showed significant differences between the metastatic and non-metastatic groups (p < 0.05). The combination of MTV, SUV_max, and D had the strongest predictive value (area under the ROC 0.983, p < 0.05). SUV_max, SUV_mean, and TLG weakly correlated with F (R = - 0.306, - 0.290, and - 0.310; p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of MTV, SUV_max, and D may have a better diagnostic performance than PET- or IVIM-derived parameters either in combination or individually. No strong correlation exists between diffusion parameters and metabolic parameters.

KEY POINTS

• Integrated PET-IVIM MR may assist to characterize lymph node status. • The combination of MTV, SUV_max, and D may have a better diagnostic performance than PET- or IVIM-derived parameters either in combination or individually for the assessment of pelvic lymph nodes with high FDG uptake. • No strong correlation exists between diffusion parameters and metabolic parameters in pelvic lymph nodes with high FDG uptake.

Diffusion MRI of the breast: Current status and future directions

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is increasingly being incorporated into routine breast MRI protocols in many institutions worldwide, and there are abundant breast DWI indications ranging from lesion detection and distinguishing malignant from benign tumors to assessing prognostic biomarkers of breast cancer and predicting treatment response. DWI has the potential to serve as a noncontrast MR screening method. Beyond apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) mapping, which is a commonly used quantitative DWI measure, advanced DWI models such as intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM), non-Gaussian diffusion MRI, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) are extensively exploited in this field, allowing the characterization of tissue perfusion and architecture and improving diagnostic accuracy without the use of contrast agents. This review will give a summary of the clinical literature along with future directions. Level of Evidence: 5 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2020;52:70-90.

Role of intravoxel incoherent motion parameters in gastroesophageal cancer: relationship with 18F-FDG-positron emission tomography, computed tomography perfusion and magnetic resonance perfusion imaging parameters

BACKGROUND

Identification of pretherapeutic predictive markers in gastro-esophageal cancer is essential for individual-oriented treatment. This study evaluated the relationship of multimodality parameters derived from intravoxel incoherent motion method (IVIM), 18F-FDG-positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT) perfusion and dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with gastro-esophageal cancer and investigated their histopathological correlation.

METHODS

Thirty-one consecutive patients (28 males; median age 63.9 years; range 37-84 years) with gastro-esophageal adenocarcinoma (N.=22) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (N.=9) were analyzed. IVIM parameters: pseudodiffusion (D*), perfusion fraction (fp), true diffusion (D) and the threshold b-value (bval); PET-parameters: SUV<inf>max</inf>, metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG); CT perfusion parameters: blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV) and mean transit time (MTT); and MR perfusion parameters: time to enhance, positive enhancement integral, time-to-peak (TTP), maximum-slope-of-increase, and maximum-slope-of-decrease were determined, and correlated to each other and to histopathology.

RESULTS

IVIM and PET parameters showed significant negative correlations: MTV and bval (r<inf>s</inf> =-0.643, P=0.002), TLG and bval (r<inf>s</inf>=-0.699, P<0.01) and TLG and fp (r<inf>s</inf>=-0.577, P=0.006). Positive correlation was found for TLG and D (r<inf>s</inf>=0.705, P=0.000). Negative correlation was found for bval and staging (r<inf>s</inf>=0.590, P=0.005). Positive correlation was found for positive enhancement interval and BV (r<inf>s</inf>=0.547, P=0.007), BF and regression index (r<inf>s</inf>=0.753, P=0.005) and for time-to-peak and staging (r<inf>s</inf>=0.557, P=0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

IVIM parameters (bval, fp, D) provide quantitative information and correlate with PET parameters (MTV, TLG) and staging. IVIM might be a useful tool for additional characterization of gastro-esophageal cancer.

A multiparametric [18F]FDG PET/MRI diagnostic model including imaging biomarkers of the tumor and contralateral healthy breast tissue aids breast cancer diagnosis

Purpose

To develop a multiparametric [¹⁸F]FDG positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) model for breast cancer diagnosis incorporating imaging biomarkers of breast tumors and contralateral healthy breast tissue.

Methods

In this prospective study and retrospective data analysis, 141 patients (mean 57 years) with an imaging abnormality detected on mammography and/or ultrasound (BI-RADS 4/5) underwent combined multiparametric [¹⁸F]FDG PET/MRI with PET/computed tomography and multiparametric MRI of the breast at 3 T. Images were evaluated and the following were recorded: for the tumor, BI-RADS descriptors on dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI, mean apparent diffusion co-efficient (ADCmean) on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) on [¹⁸F]FDG-PET; and for the contralateral healthy breast, background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) and amount of fibroglandular tissue (FGT) on DCE-MRI, ADCmean on DWI, and SUVmax. Histopathology served as standard of reference. Uni-, bi-, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relationships between malignancy and imaging features. Predictive discrimination of benign and malignant breast lesions was examined using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).

Results

There were 100 malignant and 41 benign lesions (size: median 1.9, range 0.5–10 cm). The multivariate regression model incorporating significant univariate predictors identified tumor enhancement kinetics (P = 0.0003), tumor ADCmean (P < 0.001), and BPE of the contralateral healthy breast (P = 0.0019) as independent predictors for breast cancer diagnosis. Other biomarkers did not reach significance. Combination of the three significant biomarkers achieved an AUC value of 0.98 for breast cancer diagnosis.

Conclusion

A multiparametric [¹⁸F]FDG PET/MRI diagnostic model incorporating both qualitative and quantitative parameters of the tumor and the healthy contralateral tissue aids breast cancer diagnosis.