Intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging evaluated the response to concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with cervical cancer

To evaluate the application of multiple b values diffusion-weighted imaging based on biexponential signal decay model to predict the response to concurrent chemoradiotherapy in cervical cancer patients. This prospective study enrolled 28 patients (mean age: 50.89 +/- 10.70 years) with cervical cancer confirmed by biopsy who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Pelvic magnetic resonance scans were performed 2 weeks before, 7 days and 21 days after the initiation of therapy, and 1 month after the end of the treatment. Diffusion-weighted imaging with b values of 0, 50, 450, and 850s/mm(2) were performed, and tumor volume, means of tumor apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)(min), ADC(mean), ADC(slow), ADC(fast), and F-fast were measured. Pretreatment ADC(min) and ADC(slow) of good outcome group were significantly higher than those of poor outcome group (P<.05). At the 7th day of the treatment, Ffast and its change rate of good outcome group were significantly higher than those of poor outcome group (P<.05). At the 7th day and 21st day of the treatment, Ffast showed a slowly increasing tendency with no significant difference compared with pretreatment value in poor outcome group (P<.05). One month post-treatment, only ADC(slow) change rate was significantly higher in good outcome group than that in poor outcome group. Intravoxel incoherent motion-related ADC values could be utilized to better predict the outcome of cervical cancer chemoradiotherapy.