What’s New for Clinical Whole-body MRI (WB-MRI) in the 21st Century

Abstract

Whole body MRI (WB-MRI) has evolved since its first introduction in the 1970’s as an imaging technique to detect and survey disease across multiple sites and organ systems in the body. The development of diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) has added a new dimension to the implementation of WB-MRI on modern scanners, offering excellent lesion-to-background contrast, while achieving acceptable spatial resolution to detect focal lesions 5 to 10 mm in size. MRI hardware and software advances have reduced acquisition times, with studies taking 40–50 min to complete. The rising awareness of medical radiation exposure coupled with the advantages of MRI, have resulted in increased utilization of WB-MRI in oncology, paediatrics, rheumatological and musculoskeletal conditions and more recently in population screening. There is recognition that WB-MRI can be used to track disease evolution and monitor response heterogeneity in patients with cancer. There are also opportunities to combine WB-MRI with molecular imaging on PET-MRI systems to harness the strengths of hybrid imaging. The advent of artificial intelligence and machine learning will shorten image acquisition times and image analyses, making the technique more competitive against other imaging technologies.

Exploring miRNA Signature and Other Potential Biomarkers for Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer Characterization: The Biological Challenge behind Clinical Practice. A Narrative Review

“…With the emerging use of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) and Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), it has become easier to detect the presence of metastases in patients with early biochemical recurrence [19][20][21][22][23][24]. Despite the accuracy of these investigations, it is likely that a number of patients who are already polimetastatic will escape detection, especially at low prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, with negative consequences on correct clinical choices [25,26].…”

Imaging modalities in pregnant cancer patients

“…The widespread availability of MR systems and required sequences, clinically efficient scan time of on average 38 min, increasing standardization in imaging technique and interpretation, increasing radiologist training, and complete absence of radiation is likely to facilitate the more widespread use of whole-body diffusionweighted/MRI for staging advanced cancers during pregnancy. 29 Appropriate diagnostic work-up should result in an accuracy equal to non-pregnant patients, without fetal risk, using only the imaging modalities according to the need for assessment of locoregional disease extent and probability of distant staging. The diagnostic pathway is personalized to the patient through a prestaging multidisciplinary board discussion in accordance with local imaging expertize, by tumor type and available imaging equipment.…”

Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) for cancer screening: recommendations for use

“…Whole-body MRI (WB-MRI) is a powerful imaging modality for the detection and characterization of pathologies in multiple organs, that can provide a wide anatomical coverage without exposing subjects to ionizing radiation. Improvements in scanner performance and optimization of pulse sequences have reduced acquisition times and paved the way to the adoption of WB-MRI in several clinical contexts [1]. Currently, the utility of WB-MRI in oncology is well recognized [2][3][4], the technical aspects of the imaging protocols, image interpretation and structured reporting have been widely discussed [5], and guidelines developed for application in advanced prostate cancer [6] and multiple myeloma [7].…”