In the investigation of tumors with conventional magnetic resonance imaging, both
quantitative characteristics, such as size, edema, necrosis, and presence of
metastases, and qualitative characteristics, such as contrast enhancement degree, are
taken into consideration. However, changes in cell metabolism and tissue physiology
which precede morphological changes cannot be detected by the conventional technique.
The development of new magnetic resonance imaging techniques has enabled the
functional assessment of the structures in order to obtain information on the
different physiological processes of the tumor microenvironment, such as oxygenation
levels, cellularity and vascularity. The detailed morphological study in association
with the new functional imaging techniques allows for an appropriate approach to
cancer patients, including the phases of diagnosis, staging, response evaluation and
follow-up, with a positive impact on their quality of life and survival rate.