Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in Oncology: An Update
Carmelo Messina, Rodolfo Bignone, Alberto Bruno, Antonio Bruno, Federico Bruno, Marco Calandri, Damiano Caruso, Pietro Coppolino, Riccardo De Robertis, Francesco Gentili, Irene Grazzini, Raffaele Natella, Paola Scalise, Antonio Barile, Roberto Grassi, Domenico Albano, on behalf of the Young SIRM Working Group
Abstract
To date, diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) is included in routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocols for several cancers. The real additive role of DWI lies in the "functional" information obtained by probing the free diffusivity of water molecules into intra and inter-cellular spaces that in tumors mainly depend on cellularity. Although DWI has not gained much space in some oncologic scenarios, this non-invasive tool is routinely used in clinical practice and still remains a hot research topic: it has been tested in almost all cancers to differentiate malignant from benign lesions, to distinguish different malignant histotypes or tumor grades, to predict and/or assess treatment responses, and to identify residual or recurrent tumors in follow-up examinations. In this review, we provide an up-to-date overview on the application of DWI in oncology.