MRI apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC): A biomarker for prostate cancer after radiation therapy

Prostate specific antigen (PSA) remains the most used test to assess the response after therapies including the radiation therapy (RT). Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) derived from the conventional diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), as a part of noncontrast or biparametric MRI (bpMRI) (T2-weighted and DWI), offers diagnostic accuracy and cancer detection rate equivalent to that of multiparametric MRI. Cellular changes induced by RT can be quali-qualitatively demonstrated as early as 3months after RT as an increase in the signal intensity of the tumor on the ADC map. ADC, in association with PSA, represents a potential biomarker imaging for evaluating treatment efficacy in PCa both during and shortly after RT.