PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) in patients with ovarian cystic tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During past 12 months, we studied 30 patients who were clinically suspected of having ovarian cystic tumors and who underwent DWI using a 1.5 T MR unit. Eight patients with small cystic ovarian lesions of less than 3 cm in diameter and insufficient DWI were excluded from the calculation of the ADC values. The remaining twenty-six cystic ovarian lesions in 22 patients were classified into four groups; ovarian cysts, cystadenomas, other benign tumors, and malignant tumors. DWI was obtained using single-shot spin echo planar imaging and two gradient steps (b values of 0, 800 sec/mm2). The ADC values were measured using regions-of-interest (ROI) in the cystic components of the DWI located in the same section as the T2-weighted image and away from the septation and solid components. RESULTS: The mean ADC values were 0.196+/-0.105x10(-3) mm2/sec in the ovarian cysts, 1.312+/-1.064x10(-3) mm2/sec in the cystadenomas, 0.274+/-0.124x10(-3) mm2/sec in the other benign tumors, and 1.011+/-0.080x10(-3) mm2/sec in the malignant tumors. The differences in the ADC values between the ovarian cysts and cystadenomas, the ovarian cysts and malignant tumors, the cystadenomas and other benign tumors, and the other benign tumors and malignant tumors were statistically significant (p < 0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in the ADC values between the ovarian cysts and other benign tumors, or between the cystadenomas and malignant tumors (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The calculated ADC values using DWI should be helpful in the differential diagnosis of cystic ovarian tumors.
Cystadenoma ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diffusion* ; Echo-Planar Imaging ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Ovarian Cysts* ; Ovary

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cryoablation has been recognized as a potential tool in the treatment of cancer. Beside its ability to cause local destruction of the primary tumor, cryoablation has been claimed to induce a systemic anti-tumor immune response. We compared cryoimmunologic responses between cryoablation and surgical excision in a murine model of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). MATERIALS AND METHOD: Six-to 8-weeks-old female mice (total n=30) were used for this study. Tumors were established at the flank of C3H mice with the SCCVII cell line, which is an immunogenic murine SCC of spontaneous origin in the C3H/HeJ mice. The mice underwent surgical excision or cryoablation, when the tumors were between 0.3 and 0.6 cm in the largest dimension. Successfully treated mice were re-challenged with the murine bladder cancer cells, namely, SCCVII cell line or MBT-2 cells at the contralateral flank. One week later, secondary tumor growth was estimated. Spleens were harvested from the mice that had no tumor after re-challenge. Effector splenocytes were added to the target SCCVII cells prelabeled with 3H thymidine. Cytotoxicity was investigated by measuring 3H thymidine releases from target cells. RESULTS: After re-challenging the SCCVII cell line, tumors were developed in 33% (1/3) of the mice treated by surgical excision, compared to 0% (0/4) of mice treated by cryoablation. In the cytotoxicity assay, there were no significant differences between the excision and cryoablation group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the anti-tumor immunologic effect of cryoablation in the murine SCC model is not better than that of surgical excision.
Animals ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cell Line ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cryosurgery ; Female ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C3H ; Spleen ; Thymidine ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms