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Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) in oncology: an Italian survey

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Abstract

Purpose

To perform a survey among all members of the Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology (SIRM) to assess how whole-body MRI (WB-MRI) is performed in oncologic patients in Italy.

Methods

On March 2019, we administered an online poll to all SIRM members about their use of WB-MRI in 2018 asking 15 questions regarding oncologic indications, imaging protocol, use of contrast media, experience in WB-MRI, duration of scan time and reporting time.

Results

Forty-eight members participated to the survey. WB-MRIs/total MRIs ratio was 1%. Lymphoma was the most common indication (17/48, 35%), followed by myeloma and prostate cancer, with these three tumors representing the most common indication in 39/48 of cases (81%). WB-MRI acquisition time and reporting time were 46–60 min in 22/48 centers (46%) and 20–30 min in 19/48 (40%), respectively. WB-MRIs were mostly performed in 1.5T scanners (43/48, 90%), with surface coils (22/48, 46%) being preferred to Q-body (15/48, 31%) and integrated coils (11/48, 23%). Contrast media were injected in 22/48 of the centers (46%), mainly used for breast cancer (13/22, 59%). DWI was the most used sequence (45/48, 94%), mostly with b800 (27/48, 56%), b0 (24/48, 50%) and b1000 (20/48, 42%) values. In about half of cases, radiologists started evaluating WB-MRI non-contrast morphologic sequences, then checking DWI and post-contrast images.

Conclusion

WB-MRI was mainly performed at 1.5T unit, with lymphoma, myeloma and prostate cancer having been the most common indications. The extreme variability in the choice of imaging protocols and use of contrast agents demonstrates the need of a standardization of WB-MRI application in clinical practice.

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Acknowledgements

Authors thank all SIRM members who filled the online poll and participate to the survey giving their consent to publish their names: Simi Astutillo, Carlo Biasiutti, Annalisa Balbo Mussetto, Alessia Cassarà, Stefano Cirillo, Alessandro D’Amore, Francesco Di Bartolomeo, Carmela Falcone, Kamal Faraj, Barbara Frittoli, Silvia Greco, Gianpaolo Grilli, Alessandro Guarise, Rita Loscalzo, Vittorio Macchiarella, Graziella Mangano, Simone Palma, Massimo Pedrazzini, Bortolo Perin, Giovanni Pironi, Pierpaolo Purpura, Vittoria Maria Raciti, Francesco Sani, Alessandro Semeraro, Corrado Tagliati, Lorenzo Tesè and Alberta Villanacci.

Funding

This study did not receive any funding.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Radiological Sciences, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Domenico Albano, Giuseppe Micci, Luca Maria Sconfienza, Massimo Midiri, Roberto Lagalla & Massimo Galia

  2. IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy

    Domenico Albano

  3. Radiology Department, “Maggiore della Carità” Hospital, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy

    Alessandro Stecco & Alessandro Carriero

  4. Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy

    Luca Maria Sconfienza

  5. Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Radiodiagnostic Unit n. 2, University of Florence - Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy

    Stefano Colagrande

  6. Section of Radiology and Radiotherapy, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy

    Alfonso Reginelli & Roberto Grassi

Authors
  1. Domenico Albano
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  2. Alessandro Stecco
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  3. Giuseppe Micci
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  8. Alessandro Carriero
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  9. Massimo Midiri
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  10. Roberto Lagalla
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  11. Massimo Galia
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Domenico Albano.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. For this type of study, ethical approval was not required.

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Albano, D., Stecco, A., Micci, G. et al. Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) in oncology: an Italian survey. Radiol med 126, 299–305 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-020-01242-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-020-01242-7

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