Comparison of Postoperative Recurrence Prediction Capability among CEST, DWI, PET/CT and Combined Indexes in Stage I Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Motivation: CEST has a potential to play a complementary role for prediction of postoperative recurrence and improve the prediction capability as compared with DWI, CEST and FDG-PET/CT in NSCLC patients. Goal(s): The goal was to compare the quantitative prediction capability for postoperative recurrence of FDG-PET/CT and MRI-based molecular information from CEST and DWI in stage I NSCLC patients. Approach: This clinical study examined CEST imaging, DWI and FDG-PET/CT, and all indexes and combined predictors were compared prediction capabilities in NSCLC. Results: Specificities and accuracies of MTRasym, ADC and combined predictors were significantly higher than those of SUVmax (p<0.05). Impact: MRI-based molecular information has better potential for prediction of postoperative recurrence than FDG-PET/CT in stage I NSCLC patients. Moreover, combined CEST and DWI information can improve prediction capability of CEST imaging in this setting.