Intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging evaluated the response to concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with cervical cancer

To evaluate the application of multiple b values diffusion-weighted imaging based on biexponential signal decay model to predict the response to concurrent chemoradiotherapy in cervical cancer patients. This prospective study enrolled 28 patients (mean age: 50.89 ± 10.70 years) with cervical cancer confirmed by biopsy who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Pelvic magnetic resonance scans were performed 2 weeks before, 7 days and 21 days after the initiation of therapy, and 1 month after the end of the treatment. Diffusion-weighted imaging with b values of 0, 50, 450, and 850 s/mm(2) were performed, and tumor volume, means of tumor apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)(min), ADC(mean), ADC(slow), ADC(fast), and F(fast) were measured. Pretreatment ADC(min) and ADC(slow) of good outcome group were significantly higher than those of poor outcome group (P < .05). At the 7th day of the treatment, F(fast) and its change rate of good outcome group were significantly higher than those of poor outcome group (P < .05). At the 7th day and 21st day of the treatment, F(fast) showed a slowly increasing tendency with no significant difference compared with pretreatment value in poor outcome group (P < .05). One month post-treatment, only ADC(slow) change rate was significantly higher in good outcome group than that in poor outcome group. Intravoxel incoherent motion-related ADC values could be utilized to better predict the outcome of cervical cancer chemoradiotherapy.