title: Assessing extracranial tumors using diffusion-weighted whole-body MRI.
abstract: Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) provides qualitative and quantitative information about the random motion of water molecules in biological tissues and is able to give functional insight into tissue architecture and pathological changes on a cellular level. This technique has the major advantages of not requiring the administration of contrast agents and not exposing the patient to ionizing radiation. Recent technological advances have led to the development of diffusion-weighted whole-body imaging with background body signal suppression (DWIBS) that allows screening of the whole body in 25 minutes. DWI and DWIBS have both revealed great potential in the field of oncology and proved to be useful for detecting and characterizing tumors and evaluating treatment response. This article reviews the basic principles and experimental setup of DWI and DWIBS and illustrates its potential application to the assessment of extracranial tumors. In addition, current limitations and challenges of this promising imaging procedure are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Radiological Physics, University of Basel Hospital, Switzerland. claudia.lenz@unibas.ch
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lenz
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Klarhöfer
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Scheffler
authors.forename: Leopold
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Winter
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sommer
mesh_terms: D018248:Adenoma, Liver Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D003287:Contrast Media; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D051598:Whole Body Imaging / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D003287:Contrast Media; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18