Clinicopathological Factors Influencing the Apparent Diffusion Coefficients Obtained by Diffusion-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

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Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) has been reported to provide good contrast between lesions with increased cellular density, such as neoplasms, and the surrounding tissue. The DWI data is quantified by measuring the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in tissue, and ADC is predicted that correspond to the nature and behavior of neoplasms. To test this prediction, we investigated the relationship between clinicopathological factors in colorectal cancer and ADC values in the primary lesions. ADC values were obtained in a total of 24 of 25 primary lesions, and they tended to be higher in colorectal cancers with distant metastasis, lymphatic invasion, and vascular invasion. On the other hand, there were no significant correlations between ADC values and tumor size, histopathological classification, depth of tumor invasion, or whether lymph node metastasis was present. The results suggest that the ADC reflects some of the characteristics of colorectal cancers.