Application of whole-body MRI to detect the recurrence of lung cancer

Although some therapeutics provide an opportunity for cure, recurrence is a major obstacle to achieve a complete remission for lung cancers. Therefore, precise assessment of lung cancers has been a task with challenge. In recent years, integration of positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET–CT) and whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) have been introduced as an alternative to standard multimodality imaging strategies and are now increasingly applied to various malignancies. However, there is little information on the surveillance capability of WB-MRI in patients with lung cancers. We aimed to investigate the clinical potential of WB-MRI as a novel surveillance modality after curative treatments for lung cancers, comparing it with PET–CT. Sixty two consecutive patients with lung malignancy who underwent both WB-MRI and PET–CT were selected to assess the recurrent malignant lesions. The clinical data including radiologic and pathologic findings were collected and analyzed retrospectively. On each lymph node station, the ability of WB-MRI to detect malignant lesions significantly correlated with that of PET–CT (γ= 0.86; P<.01). The correlation coefficient ranged from 0.999 to 1 for assessing distant metastases from lung cancers by two modalities (P<.01). Based on the pathologic confirmation, both modalities showed an equivalent diagnostic accuracy (PET–CT: sensitivity 85.71%, specificity 47.27% versus WB-MRI: sensitivity 85.71%, specificity 56.25%). This study demonstrates the clinical potential of WB-MRI, together with PET–CT, as a novel surveillance modality for lung cancers after curative treatments.