Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced and Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in Magnetic Resonance in the Assessment of Peritoneal Recurrence of Ovarian Cancer in Patients with or Without BRCA Mutation

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the differences in diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and dynamic contrast enhancement (DCE) parameters between patients with peritoneal high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) recurrence with BRCA mutations (BRCAmut) or BRCA wild type (BRCAwt). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the abdominal and pelvic magnetic resonance (MR) images of 43 patients suspected of having recurrent HGSOC, of whom 18 had BRCA1/2 gene mutations. Patients underwent MRI examination via a 1.5 T MRI scanner, and the analyzed parameters were as follows: apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), time to peak (TTP) and perfusion maximum enhancement (Perf. Max. En.). Results: The mean ADC in patients with BRCAwt was lower than that in patients with BRCAmut: 788.7 (SD: 139.5) vs. 977.3 (SD: 103), p-value = 0.00002. The average TTP value for patients with BRCAwt was greater than that for patients with mutations: 256.3 (SD: 50) vs. 160.6 (SD: 35.5), p-value < 0.01. The Perf. Max. En. value was lower in the BRCAwt group: 148.6 (SD: 12.3) vs. 233.6 (SD: 29.2), p-value < 0.01. Conclusion: Our study revealed a statistically significant correlation between DWI and DCE parameters in examinations of peritoneal metastasis in patients with BRCA1/2 mutations. Adding DCE perfusion to the MRI protocol for ovarian cancer recurrence in patients with BRCAmut may be a valuable tool.