Is there association of gross tumor volume of adenocarcinoma of oesophagogastric junction measured on magnetic resonance imaging with N stage?

Abstract

PurposeTo determine whether gross tumour volume (GTV) of adenocarcinoma of oesophagogastric junction (AOG) measured on fat-suppression T2-weighted imaging (FS-T2WI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) correlates with regional lymph node metastasis and N stage. Materials and methodsThe study was approved by the institutional ethics committee, and written informed consent was obtained. Forty-six patients with AOG underwent preoperative magnetic resonance scans including FS-T2WI and DWI with b-values of 500 and 800 s/mm2. GTV was measured on FS-T2WI and DWI. Statistical analyses were performed to determine association of GTV with N stage. ResultsUnivariate analysis showed GTV measured on FS-T2WI and DWI with b-values of 500 and 800 s/mm2 were correlated with lymph node metastasis (all Ps < 0.05). Spearman rank correlation tests demonstrated a trend toward an increase in GTV obtained on previous sequences with increasing N stage (r = 0.578 to 0.591, all Ps < 0.001). Mann-Whitney U tests showed GTV obtained on previous sequences could distinguish grouped N stages (all Ps < 0.05). Receiver operating curve analyses demonstrated that GTV obtained on FS-T2WI and DWI with b-value of 500 s/mm2 and DWI with b-value of 800 s/mm2 might differentiate stage N0 from stages N1-3 (cutoff, 19.70 cm3, 16.70 cm3 and 12.24 cm3, respectively), stages N0-1 from N2-3 (cutoff: 22.16 cm3, 17.54 cm3 and 14.17 cm3, respectively), stages N0-2 from N3 (cutoff: 25.57 cm3, 29.27 cm3 and 22.73 cm3, respectively). ConclusionThere is a trend toward an increase in GTV obtained on FS-T2WI and DWI sequences with increasing N stage.