title: MRI differentiation of recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma from postradiation fibrosis.
abstract: A prospective study was performed to determine the usefulness of magnetic imaging (MRI) in differentiating local recurrence versus post-irradiation fibrosis in 72 patients after radiotherapy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). All patients had a soft-tissue mass in the nasopharynx demonstrated by computed tomography. A total of 29 patients had tumor recurrence; 40 patients had only radiation fibrosis; 1 patient had postradiation edema and 2 patients had inflammatory changes. Based on the differences in signal intensity on T2-weighted images, MRI may be promising as a noninvasive method for differentiating radiation fibrosis from local recurrent NPC. However, the signal intensity pattern of the tumor is not specific and may be seen in radiation edema and infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital, Zunyi Medical College, Guizhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Q Y
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000473:pathology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed