Longitudinal analysis of T2 relaxation time variations following radiotherapy for prostate cancer
Pavla Hanzlikova,
Dominik Vilimek,
Radana Vilimkova Kahankova,
Martina Ladrova,
Valeria Skopelidou,
Zuzana Ruzickova,
Radek Martinek,
Jakub Cvek
Affiliations
Pavla Hanzlikova
Department of Radiology, University Hospital Ostrava, Czech Republic; Department of Imaging Methods, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
Dominik Vilimek
Department of Cybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 15, Ostrava – Poruba, 708 00, Czech Republic; Corresponding author.
Radana Vilimkova Kahankova
Department of Cybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 15, Ostrava – Poruba, 708 00, Czech Republic
Martina Ladrova
Department of Cybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 15, Ostrava – Poruba, 708 00, Czech Republic
Valeria Skopelidou
Institute of Molecular and Clinical Pathology and Medical Genetics, University Hospital Ostrava, 70852, Ostrava, Czech Republic; Institute of Molecular and Clinical Pathology and Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, 70300, Ostrava, Czech Republic
Zuzana Ruzickova
Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, 70300 Ostrava, Czech Republic; Department of Oncology, University Hospital Ostrava, 70852 Ostrava, Czech Republic
Radek Martinek
Department of Cybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 15, Ostrava – Poruba, 708 00, Czech Republic
Jakub Cvek
Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, 70300 Ostrava, Czech Republic; Department of Oncology, University Hospital Ostrava, 70852 Ostrava, Czech Republic
Aim of this paper is to evaluate short and long-term changes in T2 relaxation times after radiotherapy in patients with low and intermediate risk localized prostate cancer. A total of 24 patients were selected for this retrospective study. Each participant underwent 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging on seven separate occasions: initially after the implantation of gold fiducials, the required step for Cyberknife therapy guidance, followed by MRI scans two weeks post-therapy and monthly thereafter. As part of each MRI scan, the prostate region was manually delineated, and the T2 relaxation times were calculated for quantitative analysis. The T2 relaxation times between individual follow-ups were analyzed using Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance that revealed a significant difference across all measurements (F (6, 120) = 0.611, p << 0.001). A Bonferroni post hoc test revealed significant differences in median T2 values between the baseline and subsequent measurements, particularly between pre-therapy (M0) and two weeks post-therapy (M1), as well as during the monthly interval checks (M2 - M6). Some cases showed a delayed decrease in relaxation times, indicating the prolonged effects of therapy. The changes in T2 values during the course of radiotherapy can help in monitoring radiotherapy response in unconfirmed patients, quantifying the scarring process, and recognizing the therapy failure.
