Correlation between apparent diffusion coefficients and HER2 status in gastric cancers: pilot study.
BACKGROUND
To evaluate whether apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value of gastric cancer obtained from diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) correlates with the HER2 status.


METHODS
Forty-five patients, who had been diagnosed with gastric cancer through biopsy, were enrolled in this IRB-approved study. Each patient underwent a DWI (b values: 0 and 1,000 sec/mm(2)) prior to surgery (curative gastrectomy or palliative resection). Postoperative microscopic findings, HER2 status by immunohistochemical analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were obtained. HER2 status was compared among gastric cancers with various histopathological features using the chi square test. The ADC values of gastric cancers with positive and negative HER2 were compared using the student t test.


RESULTS
A weak yet significant correlation was observed between the mean ADC values and HER2 status (r = 0.312, P = 0.037) and scores (r = 0.419, P = 0.004). The mean ADC value of HER2-positive gastric cancers was significantly higher than those of HER2-negative tumors (1.211 vs. 0.984 mm(2)/s, P = 0.020). The minimal ADC value of HER2-positive gastric cancers was significantly higher than those of HER2-negative tumors (1.105 vs. 0.905 × 10(-3) mm(2)/s, P = 0.036).


CONCLUSIONS
In this pilot study, we have demonstrated that the ADC values of gastric cancer correlate with the HER2 status. Future research is warranted to see if DWI can predict HER2 status and help in tailoring therapy for gastric cancer.
Department of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, China. hjxueren@126.com.
Jian
J
He
Department of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, China. shihuabella@126.com.
Hua
H
Shi
Department of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, China. 18260087966@163.com.
Zhuping
Z
Zhou
Department of Pathology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, China. ichenjun@qq.com.
Jun
J
Chen
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, China. guan-wx@163.com.
Wenxian
W
Guan
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, China. wanghao0349@sina.com.
Hao
H
Wang
Department of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, China. 1963hp@sohu.com.
Haiping
H
Yu
Department of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, China. liusongnj@126.com.
Song
S
Liu
Department of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, China. zyzhou@nju.edu.cn.
Zhengyang
Z
Zhou
Radiation Oncology and Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA. xyang43@emory.edu.
Xiaofeng
X
Yang
Radiation Oncology and Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA. tliu34@emory.edu.
Tian
T
Liu
D000368:Aged; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010865:Pilot Projects; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000601:surgery; D047368:Tumor Burden
D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases