Diffusion-Weighted MRI for Liver Metastasis

The advancements of systemic and local therapies for complex CRLM have led to the increased incidence of DLMs. It is hypothesized that DW-MRI imaging could distinguish between a metastasis not completely sterilized by conversion therapy and a sterilized scar (non-viable tumor). If this can be demonstrated, the use of DW-MRI could make a significant impact on the surgical decision making process by providing surgeons a more reliable guide to decide whether to leave behind or to resect/ablate a site of DLM. Most importantly, this surgical choice can also have a significant impact on patient outcomes as it may impact the risk of local recurrence and the need for re-operation.The possibility of improving surgical management of complex CRLM is foreseen if the benefit of observing or resecting small residual metastases and DLMs is clarified through a multi-center and international prospective study.