The application of apparent diffusion coefficients derived from intratumoral and peritumoral zones for assessing pathologic prognostic factors in rectal cancer

To investigate the diagnostic performance of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) derived from intratumoral and peritumoral zones for assessing pathologic prognostic factors in rectal cancer.

One hundred forty-six patients with rectal cancer who underwent preoperative MRI were prospectively enrolled. Two radiologists independently placed free-hand regions of interest (ROIs) in the largest tumor cross section and three small ROIs on the peritumoral zone adjacent to the tumor contour. Maximum values of tumor ADC (ADC_tmax), minimum values of tumor ADC (ADC_tmin), mean values of tumor ADC (ADC_tmean), mean values of peritumor ADC (ADC_pmean), and ADC_pmean/ADC_tmean (ADC ratio) were obtained on ADC maps and correlated with prognostic factors using uni- and multivariate logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis.

Interobserver agreement was excellent for ADC_tmax and ADC_tmean (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC], 0.915–0.958), and were good for ADC_tmin, ADC_pmean, and ADC ratio (ICC, 0.774–0.878). The ADC ratio was significantly higher in the poor differentiation, T3–4 stage, lymph node metastasis (LNM)–positive, extranodal extension (ENE)–positive, tumor deposit (TD)–positive, and lymphovascular invasion (LVI)–positive groups than that in the well–moderate differentiation, T1–2 stage, LNM-negative, ENE-negative, TD-negative, and LVI-negative groups (p = 0.008, < 0.001, < 0.001, 0.001, < 0.001, and < 0.001, respectively). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the ADC ratio was the highest for assessing poor differentiation (0.700), T3–4 stage (0.707), LNM-positive (0.776), TD-positive (0.848), and LVI-positive (0.778). Both the ADC ratio (AUC = 0.677) and ADC_pmean (AUC = 0.686) showed higher diagnostic performance for assessing ENE.

The ADC ratio could provide better predictive performance for assessing preoperative prognostic factors in resectable rectal cancer.

• Both the peritumor/tumor ADC ratio and ADC _pmean are correlated with important prognostic factors of resectable rectal cancer.