Diagnostic utility of three Tesla diffusion tensor imaging in prostate cancer: correlation with Gleason score values

Abstract

Background Preoperative assessment of prostate cancer (PCa) aggressiveness is a prerequisite to provide specific management options. The Gleason score (GS) obtained from prostatic biopsy or surgery is crucial for the evaluation of PCa aggressiveness and personalized treatment planning. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) provides valuable information about microstructural properties of prostatic tissue. The most common prostate DTI measures are the fractional anisotropy (FA) and median diffusivity (MD) can give more information regarding the biophysical characteristics of prostate tissue. We aimed to explore the correlation of these DTI parameters with GS levels in PCa patients that can affect the management protocol of PCa. Results The computed area under curve (AUC) of the FA values used to differentiate cancer patients from control group was (0.90) with cutoff point to differentiate both groups were ≥ 0.245. The computed sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were (84%, 80%, 95.5%, and 50%), respectively, with accuracy 83.3%. FA showed high positive correlation with Gleason score (p value < 0.001). Median diffusivity (MD) showed negative correlation with GS with statistically significant results (p value = 0.013). PCa fiber bundles were dense, orderly arranged, without interruption in the low grade, and slightly disorganized in the intermediate group. However, in the high-grade group, the fiber bundles were interrupted, irregularly arranged, and absent at the site of cancerous foci. Conclusions Combined quantitative parameter values (FA and MD values) and parametric diagrams (FA and DTI maps) can be utilized to evaluate prostate cancer aggressiveness and prognosis, helping in the improvement of the management protocol of PCa patients.