The therapeutic utility of combining dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging with arterial spin labeling in the staging of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

BACKGROUND: To research the pathological and clinical staging uses of arterial spin labeling (ASL) and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 64 newly diagnosed nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients were enrolled from December 2020 to January 2022, and 3.0 T MRI (Discovery 750W, GE Healthcare, USA) were used for ASL and DCE-MRI scans. The DCE-MRI and ASL raw data were processed post-acquisition on the GE image processing workstation (GE Healthcare, ADW 4.7, USA). The volume transfer constant (Ktrans), blood flow (BF), and accompanying pseudo-color images were generated automatically. Draw the region of interest (ROIs), and the Ktrans and BF values for each ROI were recorded separately. Based on pathological information and the most recent AJCC staging criteria, patients were divided into low T stage groups = T(1–2) and high T stage groups = T(3–4), low N stage groups = N(0–1) and high N stage groups = N(2–3), and low AJCC stage group = stage I–II and high AJCC stage group = stage III–IV. The association between the Ktrans(t) and BF parameters and the T, N, and AJCC stages was compared using an independent sample t-test. Using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of Ktrans(t), BF(t), and their combined use in T and AJCC staging of NPC were investigated and assessed. RESULT: The tumor-BF (BF(t)) (t = − 4.905, P < 0.001) and tumor-Ktrans (Ktrans(t)) (t = − 3.113, P = 0.003) in the high T stage group were significantly higher than those in the low T stage group. The Ktrans(t) in the high N stage group was significantly higher than that in the low N stage group (t = − 2.071, P = 0.042). The BF(t) (t = − 3.949, P < 0.001) and Ktrans(t) (t = − 4.467, P < 0.001) in the high AJCC stage group were significantly higher than those in the low AJCC stage group. BF(t) was moderately positively correlated with the T stage (r = 0.529, P < 0.001) and AJCC stage (r = 0.445, P < 0.001). Ktrans(t) was moderately positively correlated with T staging (r = 0.368), N staging (r = 0.254), and AJCC staging (r = 0.411). There was also a positive correlation between BF and Ktrans in gross tumor volume (GTV) (r = 0.540, P < 0.001), parotid (r = 0.323, P < 0.009) and lateral pterygoid muscle (r = 0.445, P < 0.001). The sensitivity of the combined application of Ktrans(t) and BF(t) for AJCC staging increased from 76.5 and 78.4 to 86.3%, and the AUC value increased from 0.795 and 0.819 to 0.843, respectively. CONCLUSION: Combining Ktrans and BF measures may make it possible to identify the clinical stages in NPC patients.