Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of quantitative diffusion and perfusion parameters to aid in discriminating between transition zone carcinomas and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
Materials and methods: Twenty-four transition zone cancers and BPH nodules were contoured on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, and raw dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI. Benign prostatic hyperplasia nodules were then stratified into 2 groups based on the presence or absence of a capsule. Apparent diffusion coefficient values, per-voxel Ktrans, kep, vp, and ve were all compared across all groups.
Results: Average ADCs (×10 mm/s) were 1019.22, 1338.11, and 1272.46 for cancer, encapsulated BPH, and nonencapsulated BPH, respectively. Both subgroups of BPH were found to be significantly different than that of cancer (P < 0.05). No individual DCE-MRI parameter was significantly different between cancer and either BPH group. The area under the curve for ADC alone was 0.83, and no individual DCE imaging parameter improved the area under the curve of ADC.
Conclusions: Apparent diffusion coefficient may play a role in distinguishing TZ cancers from non-encapsulated BPH nodules that closely resemble cancer.