Pilot Study of dMRI as a Tool for Early Evaluation of Tumor Response in Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma

Different types of functional imaging are under investigation as a tool to predict response to treatment, as imaging soon after starting therapy might be able to better define the likelihood of response. Functional imaging refers to scans that measure characteristics other than size and shape (anatomic imaging), as measured by CT scans. We are interested in evaluating the potential value of diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dMRI), which in some settings can be used very early in treatment in predicting patients' response to treatment. Diffusion MRI (dMRI) detects changes in cell structure, and has the potential to detect and measure cell changes that occur in response to treatment. Several groups are investigating the use of dMRI to monitor treatment responses. This strategy has been most frequently explored in humans in patients with brain tumors, where dMRI has been demonstrated to predict response to treatment early after starting treatment. A few studies have looked at response in other cancers. These studies showed early changes in patients who later responded to treatment, with changes seen within one to 2 weeks. Although diffusion MRI has been shown to be useful in several cancer types, it has not been explored in the evaluation of lymphoma. This pilot study will evaluate the imaging characteristics of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) by dMRI prior to treatment and 7 days after initial chemotherapy in order to explore whether dMRI is useful in evaluating the response of lymphoma to chemotherapy.