Diagnostic value of apparent diffusion coefficient in predicting pathological T stage in patients with thymic epithelial tumor

Purposes This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic capacity of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in predicting pathological Masaoka and T stages in patients with thymic epithelial tumors (TETs). Methods Medical records of 62 patients who were diagnosed with TET and underwent diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) prior to surgery between August 2017 and July 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. ADC values were calculated from DWI images using b values of 0, 400, and 800 s/mm(2). Pathological stages were determined by histological examination of surgical specimens. Cut-off points of ADC values were calculated via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results Patients had a mean age of 56.3 years. Mean ADC values were negatively correlated with pathological Masaoka and T stages. Higher values of the area under the ROC curve suggested that mean ADC values more accurately predicated pathological T stages than pathological Masaoka stages. The optimal cut-off points of mean ADC were 1.62, 1.31, and 1.48 x 10(-3) mm(2)/sec for distinguishing pathological T2-T4 from pathological T1, pathological T4 from pathological T1-T3, and pathological T3-T4 from pathological T2, respectively. Conclusion ADC seems to more precisely predict pathological T stages, compared to pathological Masaoka stage. The cut-off values of ADC identified may be used to preoperatively predict pathological T stages of TETs.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the diagnostic capacity of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in predicting pathological Masaoka and T stages in patients with thymic epithelial tumors (TETs). The results showed that ADC values were negatively correlated with pathological stages and more accurately predicted pathological T stages. ADC values can be used to preoperatively predict the T stages of TETs.