TIME-DEPENDANT DIFFUSION-WEIGHTED MRI IN MAPPING TUMOUR MICROENVIRONMENT IN ENDOMETRIAL CARCINOMA.

Motivation: Time-dependent diffusion -weighted MRI (td-dMRI) has emerged as a microstructural imaging platform to offer evaluation of the tumour microenvironment, which is important in cancer development of endometrial carcinoma. Goal(s): To establish the microstructural profiles of endometrial carcinoma. Approach: Prospective patients with suspicious endometrial pathology were recruited for td-dMRI before surgery. The data was modelled based on IMPULSED and JOINT models to establish the intracellular volume fraction (Vin), extracellular diffusion (Dex), and water exchange rate constant (Kin) in endometrial carcinoma. Results: Endometrial carcinoma exhibited higher Vin and lower Dex and Kin than non-endometrial carcinoma patients. Impact: Time-dependent diffusion-weighted MRI allows non-invasive characterisation of the tumour microenvironment of endometrial carcinoma, deepening our understanding of the complex interplay between tumour and its microenvironment, providing opportunities for identification of drug targets and monitoring disease evolution throughout treatment.