[Application of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in evaluating the efficacy of radiotherapy and chemotherapy for esophageal cancer].

ABSTRACT

This study was a prospective single arm trial conducted in Zhejiang Jinhua Guangfu hospital from February 2018 to June 2020. A total of 39 patients (32 males and 7 females) with esophageal cancer, aged from 44 to 82 (69±9) years were enrolled. Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging(MR-DWI) was implemented to evaluate the changes of apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC) value before and after chemoradiotherapy. The results showed that the ADC value after chemoradiotherapy was higher than that before treatment[(2.03±0.42)×10⁻³ mm 2/s vs (1.60±0.28)×10⁻³ mm2/s], and there was a positive correlation between the increase of ADC value and the prognosis of patients.