Robust extraction of biological information from diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging during radiotherapy using semi-automatic delineation.

ABSTRACT:

Background and purpose

Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance imaging (DWI) quantifies water mobility through the Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC), a promising radiotherapy response biomarker. ADC measurements depend on manual delineation of a region of interest, a time-consuming and observer-dependent process. Here, the aim was to introduce and test the performance of a new, semi-automatic delineation tool (SADT) for ADC calculation within the viable region of the tumour.

Materials and methods

Thirty patients with rectal cancer were scanned with DWI before radiotherapy (RT) (baseline) and two weeks into RT (week 2). The SADT was based on intensities in b=1100 s mm^-2 DWI and derived ADC maps. ADC values measured using the SADT and manual delineations were compa

SUBMITTER: Bisgaard ALH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8908275 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature