Comparison Between Gleason Score and Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Obtained from Diffusion-Weighted Imaging of Prostate Cancer Patients

Objectives: To correlate the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of prostate cancer patients with pathological Gleason scores (GS). Methods: 40 patients with GS 2+ 3, 3+ 3, 3+ 4, or 4+ 4 were selected. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study was performed adding axial diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) sequences to the standard MRI protocol. ADC values obtained were correlated with the GS data. Results: Statistically significant differences of ADC (p<.05) were found among GS groups with a trend of decreasing ADC values with increasing GS. Conclusions: The ADC values may help clinicians to delineate prostate carcinoma, recognizing its high- or low-grade compartments.