title: Clinical applications for diffusion magnetic resonance imaging in radiotherapy.
abstract: In this article, we review the clinical applications of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the radiotherapy treatment of several key clinical sites, including those of the central nervous system, the head and neck, the prostate, and the cervix. Diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) is an imaging technique that is rapidly gaining widespread acceptance owing to its ease and wide availability. DWI measures the mobility of water within tissue at the cellular level without the need of any exogenous contrast agent. For radiotherapy treatment planning, DWI improves upon conventional imaging techniques, by better characterization of tumor tissue properties required for tumor grading, diagnosis, and target volume delineation. Because DWI is also a sensitive marker for alterations in tumor cellularity, it has potential clinical applications in the early assessment of treatment response following radiation therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan Hospital and Health Systems, Ann Arbor, MI. Electronic address: ctsien@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tsien
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan Hospital and Health Systems, Ann Arbor, MI.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan Hospital and Health Systems, Ann Arbor, MI.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chenevert
mesh_terms: D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D018787:Radiation Oncology / Q000379:methods*; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D061089:Radiotherapy, Image-Guided / Q000379:methods*