DWI-related texture analysis for prostate cancer: differences in correlation with histological aggressiveness and data repeatability between peripheral and transition zones

BACKGROUND: We investigated the correlation between texture features extracted from apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps or diffusion-weighted images (DWIs), and grade group (GG) in the prostate peripheral zone (PZ) and transition zone (TZ), and assessed reliability in repeated examinations. METHODS: Patients underwent 3-T pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before radical prostatectomy with repeated DWI using b-values of 0, 100, 1,000, and 1,500 s/mm(2). Region of interest (ROI) for cancer was assigned to the first and second DWI acquisition separately. Texture features of ROIs were extracted from comma-separated values (CSV) data of ADC maps generated from several sets of two b-value combinations and DWIs, and correlation with GG, discrimination ability between GG of 1–2 versus 3–5, and data repeatability were evaluated in PZ and TZ. RESULTS: Forty-four patients with 49 prostate cancers met the eligibility criteria. In PZ, ADC 10% and 25% based on ADC map of two b-value combinations of 100 and 1,500 s/mm(2) and 10% based on ADC map with b-value of 0 and 1,500 s/mm(2) showed significant correlation with GG, acceptable discrimination ability, and good repeatability. In TZ, higher-order texture feature of busyness extracted from ADC map of 100 and 1,500 s/mm(2), and high gray-level run emphasis, short-run high gray-level emphasis, and high gray-level zone emphasis from DWI with b-value of 100 s/mm(2) demonstrated significant correlation, excellent discrimination ability, but moderate repeatability. CONCLUSIONS: Some DWI-related features showed significant correlation with GG, acceptable to excellent discrimination ability, and moderate to good data repeatability in prostate cancer, and differed between PZ and TZ. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41747-021-00252-y.