Predicting Control of Primary Tumor and Survival by DCE MRI During Early Therapy in Cervical Cancer

Abstract

Our results show that MRI parameters quantifying perfusion status and residual tumor volume provide very early prediction of primary tumor control and disease-free-survival. This functional imaging based outcome predictor can be obtained in the very early phase of cytotoxic therapy within 2 to 2.5 weeks of therapy start. The predictive capacity of these MRI parameters, indirectly reflecting the heterogeneous delivery pattern of cytotoxic agents, tumor oxygenation, and the bulk of residual presumably therapy-resistant tumor, requires future study.