Investigation of distress during diffusion-weighted whole-body magnetic resonance imaging among women with breast cancer and the effectiveness of a new technology in alleviating patient's anxiety by approaching the human senses

Abstract

IntroductionBreast cancer is a common malignant tumor among women, and the effectiveness of diagnosing its metastasis and recurrence has been demonstrated using diffusion-weighted whole-body imaging with background body signal suppression (DWIBS). However, DWIBS causes distress to patients due to the unique circumstances of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study aimed to investigate the various distress factors caused by DWIBS among women with breast cancer and assess the effectiveness of a new MRI system designed with an environment incorporating relaxing technology. MethodsFrom May to September 2022, we conducted a questionnaire survey regarding DWIBS-related distress among women with breast cancer. The questionnaire was administered to participants who underwent DWIBS on a conventional MRI system (19 women) and on a new system (20 women) equipped with relaxing technology equipped features, including projection images, illumination, and sound. Participants rated the degree of various stress factors on a face-scale rating scale (0–10). The scores of both systems were compared using the Mann–Whitney U test. ResultsIn the conventional system, women experienced distress due to MRI-specific situations, such as immobility in a confined space, noise, feeling trapped, and concerns about not moving. These results did not show a specific tendency among women with breast cancer undergoing DWIBS. For almost all distress parameters, the new system had significantly lower distress scores than the conventional system (p > 0.05). ConclusionsA comfortable environment using new and relaxing technology is effective in alleviating patient's anxiety by approaching the human senses. Implications for practiceReducing distress caused by DWIBS among women with breast cancer could provide a comfortable examination environment, potentially assisting them during longer treatment periods.