Affiliations: [a] Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| [b] Department of Radiation Oncology, The Suzhou Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Suzhou, China
| [c]
The First Clinical Medical College of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| [d] Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Dr. Fan Wang, Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China. Tel.: +86 18297918905;E-mail: wangfan1965@126.com.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE:To explore the clinical application of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) diagnosis, detection of lymph node metastasis, radiotherapy and prognosis. METHODS:Twenty patients with diagnosed NPC in an early stage of radiotherapy were enrolled in our department between May 2010 and May 2013. T1 and T2 weighted magnetic resonance imaging and DWI of the nasopharynx and neck were performed 1 week before radiotherapy, during radiotherapy at a dose of 60 Gy, and 1 month after radiotherapy. Pertinent measurements and related data were recorded. RESULTS:In comparison with that before radiotherapy, the ADC value of the nasopharyngeal primary lesion increased significantly during radiotherapy at a dose of 60 Gy and at 1 month after radiotherapy (F = 187.160, P = 0.000). When the dose of radiotherapy reached 60 Gy, the DWI signals from both the neck and the retropharyngeal lymph nodes were significantly lower than those before radiotherapy. CONCLUSION:DWI can be used for sensitive and accurate diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in the neck and retropharyngeal space, monitoring of the radiotherapy effect in early stages of NPC and development of new medical treatment strategies.
Keywords: Magnetic resonance imaging, nasopharyngeal cancer, radiotherapy
