Background and methods: Diffusion-weighted whole-body imaging with background body signal subtraction was introduced as a qualitative approach to detecting metastases in the body. A liver-mimicking phantom with embedded tumours that could be moved to replicate respiratory motion was developed to assess its ability to accurately quantify ADC values.
Results: Mean tumour ADC values were unaltered by the motion; however, a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the spread of ADC values was measured, even for relatively large tumours.
Conclusions: These findings may be of significance in cancer therapy monitoring where subtle changes in ADC histograms may reveal changes in tumour heterogeneity.