Is there association of gross tumor volume of adenocarcinoma of oesophagogastric junction measured on magnetic resonance imaging with N stage?

Purpose: To determine whether gross tumour volume (GTV) of adenocarcinoma of oesophagogastric junction (AOG) measured on fat-suppression T ₂ -weighted imaging (FS-T ₂ WI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) correlates with regional lymph node metastasis and N stage.
Materials and Methods: The study was approved by the institutional ethics committee, and written informed consent was obtained. Forty-six patients with AOG underwent preoperative magnetic resonance scans including FS-T ₂ WI and DWI with b-values of 500 and 800 s/mm ² . GTV was measured on FS-T ₂ WI and DWI. Statistical analyses were performed to determine association of GTV with N stage.
Results: Univariate analysis showed GTV measured on FS-T ₂ WI and DWI with b-values of 500 and 800 s/mm ² were correlated with lymph node metastasis (all Ps < 0.05). Spearman rank correlation tests demonstrated a trend toward an increase in GTV obtained on previous sequences with increasing N stage (r = 0.578 to 0.591, all Ps < 0.001). Mann-Whitney U tests showed GTV obtained on previous sequences could distinguish grouped N stages (all Ps < 0.05). Receiver operating curve analyses demonstrated that GTV obtained on FS-T ₂ WI and DWI with b-value of 500 s/mm ² and DWI with b-value of 800 s/mm ² might differentiate stage N0 from stages N1-3 (cutoff, 19.70 cm ³ , 16.70 cm ³ and 12.24 cm ³ , respectively), stages N0-1 from N2-3 (cutoff: 22.16 cm ³ , 17.54 cm ³ and 14.17 cm ³ , respectively), stages N0-2 from N3 (cutoff: 25.57 cm ³ , 29.27 cm ³ and 22.73 cm ³ , respectively).
Conclusion: There is a trend toward an increase in GTV obtained on FS-T ₂ WI and DWI sequences with increasing N stage.
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