Usefulness of Arterial Spin Labeling-Tumor Blood Flow and Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Perfusion Techniques in Predicting Treatment Response of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

OBJECTIVES: To demonstrate the usefulness of arterial spin labeling (ASL)- tumor blood flow (TBF) and dynamic contrast enhancement (DCE) parameters in predicting the treatment response in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after 3-months of radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten NPC patients who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations with both ASL-TBF and DCE techniques before treatment and at the 3-month follow-up after radiotherapy were divided into complete-response (CR) and partial-response (PR) groups according to the Revised Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) guideline version 1.1. The ASL-TBF and DCE parameters of the nasopharynx comprised TBF, Ktrans, IAUGC, Kep, and Ve were analyzed and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The CR group had a significantly higher pre-treatment Ve ratio ( p = 0.038), a higher post-treatment TBF value ( p = 0.038), and a higher post-treatment K trans value ( p = 0.067) than the PR group. CONCLUSION: The ASL-TBF and DCE techniques might be useful tools for the prediction of the treatment responses 3-months after radiotherapy in patients with NPC.