The Role of Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Differentiation of Head and Neck Masses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) in differentiating benign and malignant head and neck masses by comparing their apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. The study included 32 patients with a neck mass >1 cm in diameter who were examined with echo planar DW-MRI. Two different diffusion gradients (b values of b = 0 and b = 1000 s/mm2) were applied. DWI and ADC maps of 32 neck masses in 32 patients were obtained. Mean ADC values of benign and malignant neck lesions were measured and compared statistically. A total of 15 (46.9%) malignant masses and 17 (53.1%) benign masses were determined. Of all the neck masses, the ADC value of cystic masses was the highest and that of lymphomas was the lowest. The mean ADC values of benign and malignant neck masses were 1.57 × 10−3 mm2/s and 0.90 × 10−3 mm2/s, respectively. The difference between mean ADC values of benign and malignant neck masses was significant (p < 0.01). Diffusion-weighted MRI with ADC measurements can be useful in the differential diagnosis of neck masses

PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF THE RATIO BETWEEN POSITIVE LYMPH NODES AND TOTAL EXCISED LYMPH NODES IN COLORECTAL CANCER

Objective: Recent studies show that the number of excised lymph nodes is an independent prognostic factor for colorectal cancer. Based on this information, lymph node ratio (the ratio of metastatic lymph node number to the total excised lymph node number) is a reliable marker for determining prognosis in colorectal cancer. In this study, we aimed to study the prognostic effect of lymph node ratio in non-metastatic colorectal cancers from patients who underwent surgery in our hospital between January 2008 and January 2013