DW-MRI is beneficial in pelvic lymph node detection

Researchers at Bern University Hospital in Switzerland will discuss their use of diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) to detect pelvic lymph node metastases with a high negative predictive value, even in normal-sized nodes.

Lead author Dr. Harriet Thoeny and colleagues analyzed 50 patients with a median age of 62 years with bladder cancer, prostate cancer, or both, who had received a 3-tesla MRI scan. All 50 patients also underwent a lymphadectomy of the entire pelvic region.

In the review of MR images, diagnostic accuracy values for DW-MRI, in comparison to histopathology, yielded sensitivity of 93%, specificity of 75%, positive predictive value of 59%, negative predictive value of 96%, and accuracy of 80%. False-positive lymph nodes showed follicular hyperplasia, lipomatosis, and sinus histiocytosis.

Based on the results, researchers concluded that DW-MRI can preoperatively detect pelvic lymph node metastases in normal-sized nodes to allow for targeted lymph node resection or suggest preoperative neoadjuvant therapies for patients.