Abstract
Object
To determine whether apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements allow discrimination of normal lymph nodes from lymphomatous lymph nodes, and indolent lymphomas from aggressive lymphomas in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
Materials and methods
Eighteen healthy volunteers and thirty-two patients with newly diagnosed NHL (indolent: n = 16; aggressive: n = 16) underwent diffusion-weighted imaging. ADCs of normal lymph nodes were compared to those of lymphomatous lymph nodes, and ADCs of indolent lymphomas were compared to those of aggressive lymphomas. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed when ADCs were significantly different between two of the aforementioned groups.
Results
ADCs (in 10−3 mm2/s) of lymphomatous lymph nodes (0.70 ± 0.22) were significantly lower (P < 0.0001) than those of normal lymph nodes (1.00 ± 0.15). Area under the ROC curve was 0.865. Sensitivity and specificity were 78.1 and 100% when using an optimal cutoff ADC value of 0.80. On the other hand, ADCs of indolent lymphomas (0.67 ± 0.21) were not significantly different (P = 0.2997) from those of aggressive lymphomas (0.74 ± 0.23).
Conclusion
ADC measurements show promise as a highly specific tool for the discrimination of normal lymph nodes from lymphomatous lymph nodes, but appear to be of no utility in differentiating indolent from aggressive lymphomas.
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This study was supported by ZonMw programme for Health Care Efficiency Research (grant number 80-82310-98-08012).
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This study was supported by ZonMw Program for Health Care Efficiency Research (grant number 80-82310-98-08012).
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Open Access This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0), which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
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Kwee, T.C., Ludwig, I., Uiterwaal, C.S. et al. ADC measurements in the evaluation of lymph nodes in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma: feasibility study. Magn Reson Mater Phy 24, 1–8 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-010-0226-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-010-0226-7