CT and MR imaging in the local staging of primary malignant musculoskeletal neoplasms: Report of the Radiology Diagnostic Oncology Group.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the relative accuracies of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the local staging of primary malignant bone and soft-tissue tumors.


METHODS
At four institutions, 367 eligible patients (aged 6-89 years) with malignant bone or soft-tissue neoplasms in selected anatomic sites were enrolled. Patients underwent both CT and MR imaging within 4 weeks before surgery. In each patient, CT scans were interpreted independently by two radiologists and MR images by two other radiologists at the enrolling institution. The CT and MR images were then interpreted together by two of those radiologists and subsequently reread at the other institutions. Imaging and histopathologic findings were compared and were supplemented when needed with surgical findings. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and descriptive statistical analysis were performed.


RESULTS
Cases were analyzable in 316 patients: 183 had primary bone tumors; 133 had primary soft-tissue tumors. There was no statistically significant difference between CT and MR imaging in determining tumor involvement of muscle, bone, joints, or neurovascular structures. The combined interpretation of CT and MR images did not statistically significantly improve accuracy. Interreader variability was similar for both modalities.


CONCLUSIONS
CT and MR imaging are equally accurate in the local staging of malignant bone and soft-tissue neoplasms in the specific anatomic sites studied.
Panicek
D M
DM
Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Gatsonis
C
C
Rosenthal
D I
DI
Seeger
L L
LL
Huvos
A G
AG
Moore
S G
SG
Caudry
D J
DJ
Palmer
W E
WE
McNeil
B J
BJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019042:Muscle Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015588:Observer Variation; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed