The Correlations Between MRI Perfusion, Diffusion Parameters, and (18)F-FDG PET Metabolic Parameters in Primary Head-and-Neck Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in Single Institute

This study aimed to investigate the relationships among parameters from dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI, diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI), and (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) PET in patients with primary head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). A total of 34 patients with primary HNSCC underwent DCE-MRI, DWI, and (18)F-FDG PET before treatment. The perfusion parameters (K(trans), K(transmax), K(ep), V(e), V(p), and AUC(60)) from DCE-MRI and ADC (ADC(mean), ADC(min)) values from DWI were calculated within the manually placed ROI around the main tumor. Standardized uptake value (SUV(max), SUV(mean)), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG = SUV(mean) × MTV) were calculated with thresholds of 3.0 SUV. The associations between parameters were evaluated by Pearson correlation analysis. Significant correlations were identified between K(trans) and K(ep) (r = 0.631), K(trans) and V(e) (r = 0.603), K(trans) and ADC(mean) (r = 0.438), K(transmax) and K(ep) (r = 0.667), K(transmax) and V(p) (r = 0.351), V(e) and AUC(60) (r = 0.364), V(e) and ADC(mean) (r = 0.590), and V(e) and ADC(min) (r = 0.361). ADC(min) was reversely correlated with TLG (r = –0.347). Tumor volume was significantly associated with K(transmax) (r = 0.348). The demonstrated relationships among parameters from DCE, DWI, and (18)F-FDG PET suggest complex interactions among tumor biologic characteristics. Each diagnostic technique may provide complementary information for HNSCC.