MRI Functional Imaging Characteristics and Fat Quantification of CT-fat-free Renal Neoplasms: Relationships With Histological Classifications and Molecular Markers

Multiparametric MRI includes not only conventional T1-weighted and T2-weighted images but also diffusion weighted images and dynamic contrast enhanced images. Fat-detection MRI include fat-suppressed images by frequency selection, out-of-phase images (compared with in-phase image) and fat quantification pulse sequence for determining the presence or absence of intra-tumoral fat as well as measuring fat amount. We will record MRI characteristics of the renal parenchymal tumors of the patients. If the patients undergo further biopsy for establishing histological diagnoses and subtypes after MRI examination, the specimens of the renal tumor obtained from biopsy will be further analyzed by immunohistochemistry stain (IHC), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot after obtainment of the patient's informed consent. The MRI characteristics of the renal parenchymal tumors of the patients will be then correlated with histological examination, IHC, qPCR and western blot examinations of the tumors. We will then use univariate and multivariate analyses to determine whether MRI characteristics are useful as imaging surrogates for predicting biomarkers as histological diagnosis, subtypes, IHC, qPCR and western blot results.