Abstract
Whole body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with diffusion-weighted imaging (WB-MRI-DWI) is currently emerging as a diagnostic technique in the evaluation of bone metastases from breast, prostate, lung, thyroid, and melanoma tumors. The most relevant articles regarding the detection of solid tumor bone metastases with MRI have been reviewed and cited. The imaging methods currently used in the detection of bone metastases are bone scintigraphy, computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET/CT) with 2-deoxy-2-[fluorine-18] fluoro-d-glucose (18F-FDG PET/CT). WB-MRI-DWI allows qualitative and quantitative evaluation of focal lesions through signal intensity evaluation on DWI images and the reconstruction of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map. In prostate and breast cancer, WB-MRI-DWI is useful in assessing the response of bone lesions to therapy and to detecting early non-responders, while in lung cancer the method shows a similar sensitivity to 18F-FDG PET/CT in the detection of bone metastases. In bone metastases of thyroid tumors and melanoma, the WB-MRI-DWI shows a higher sensitivity when compared to 18F-FDG PET/CT. With a standardization of the WB-MRI-DWI protocol, this method seems to play an important role in the diagnosis of bone solid tumor metastases.
Highlights
Bone metastases cause a significant reduction in quality of life, producing pain and pathological fractures
A study performed by Takenaka et al assessed the utility of Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) by analyzing 115 patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma, demonstrating that WB-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detected bone localization with more sensitivity than bone scintigraphy (BS) or BS integrated with PET/computed tomography (CT) and more specificity than DWI alone
The authors concluded that WB-MRI-DWI without additional CE MRI sequences is promising for the detection of extracranial metastases in melanoma patients, but CE MRI is necessary for evaluating the brain [38]
Summary
Bone metastases cause a significant reduction in quality of life, producing pain and pathological fractures. Bone metastases are detectable in patients with advanced stages of breast, prostate, lung, and thyroid cancer, as well as melanoma They are minor entities in uterine and gastrointestinal tumors, as well as other types of neoplasms. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is based on the evaluation of microscopic movements of water at the cellular level, providing quantitative (e.g., apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)) and qualitative (e.g., signal intensity) information, which can be used to distinguish benign from malignant disorders. This pulse sequence is mandatory for oncologic imaging and in the specific field of distant metastases detection. We concentrated on evaluating the role of WB-MRI-DWI and, the additional information provided by DWI sequences in the most common adult tumors which metastasize to bones
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
