MR imaging of gastric cancer in vitro: accuracy of invasion depth diagnosis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of grading cancerous invasion of the gastric wall in vitro using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Twelve specimens of gastric carcinoma were examined at 1.5-T using a small, loop surface coil. They were imaged within 2 days of fixation in formalin. The field of view was 30 mm; the matrix size was 256x256, and the section thickness was 2 mm. T1-weighted, T2-weighted and short inversion time inversion recovery (STIR) images were obtained. Two radiologists evaluated the MR images independently, and in discrepant cases, consensus was obtained through discussion. Findings on MR images were compared with histopathologic findings. All T1-weighted, T2-weighted and STIR images depicted the normal gastric wall as consisting of six layers. STIR images depicted normal six layers most clearly. Histologically, the cancerous invasion was found to extend into the mucosa in 4 of the 12 specimens, the submucosa in 3, the muscularis propria in 2, the subserosa in 2 and the serosa in 1. The grading by MR imaging matched the histopathologic findings for all 12 tumors. The overall accuracy was 100%. Thus, MR imaging in vitro was sufficiently accurate for grading cancerous invasion of the gastric wall.