Imaging analysis of subcutaneous tumors based on time-dependent diffusion MRI

Motivation: Diffusion MRI is a non-invasive imaging method that depicts the water molecule diffusion, but its use for studying peripheral cancers has lagged behind that for deep cancers. Goal(s): To develop a highly accurate MRI method of peripheral cancer diagnosis that is comparable to biopsy-based diagnosis. Approach: To determine the differences in diffusion time-dependency between subcutaneous tumor tissues from normal tissues in tumor-bearing mouse models, we utilized a wide range of diffusion times and obtained information about intra- and inter-tumor cell microstructures. Results: In subcutaneous tumor models, time-dependent diffusion MRI can discriminate tumor tissues and identify cancer cell lines. Impact: The improved MRI method for non-invasive tumor diagnosis based on time-dependent diffusion MRI not only helps physicians determine the grade of malignancy, but also contributes to early detection by its ability to evaluate microstructures.