Mao Shitong, Wang Jihong, McMillan Holly, Mohamed Abdallah Sherif Radwan, Buoy Sheila, Ahmed Sara, Mulder Samuel L, Naser Mohamed A, He Renjie, Wahid Kareem A, Chen Melissa Mei, Ding Yao, Moreno Amy C, Lai Stephen Y, Fuller Clifton David, Hutcheson Katherine Arnold
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
Department of Radiation Physics, Division of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
Head Neck. 2025 May;47(5):1487-1496. doi: 10.1002/hed.28062. Epub 2025 Jan 10.
Quantifying head and neck lymphedema and fibrosis (HN-LEF) is crucial in the investigation and management of treatment sequelae in head and neck cancer (HNC).
The T1- and T2-weighted MRI signal intensity (SI) was examined in relation to HN-LEF categories per physical/tactile examination (No-LEF, A-B = edema, C = edema + fibrosis, D = fibrosis), and MRI structural volumes were examined in relation to a novel 10-point HN-LEF score in the intraoral and submental regions.
We identified differences in ranks among HN-LEF categories in relation to the MRI SI (A-B and C are higher than D and No-LEF for T2 SI, and A-B is the highest for T1). Furthermore, six pairs of FOM volumes on MRI demonstrated a strong negative correlation (p < 0.05) with the HN-LEF score at adjacent palpable sites.
Both MRI SI and structural volumes can potentially be imaging biomarkers of edematous soft tissue states in HNC patients.
对头颈部淋巴水肿和纤维化（HN-LEF）进行量化，在头颈部癌（HNC）治疗后遗症的调查和管理中至关重要。
根据体格/触觉检查的HN-LEF类别（无淋巴水肿，A-B = 水肿，C = 水肿 + 纤维化，D = 纤维化），检查T1加权和T2加权MRI信号强度（SI），并根据口腔内和颏下区域的新型10分HN-LEF评分检查MRI结构体积。
我们发现，HN-LEF类别在MRI SI方面存在等级差异（对于T2 SI，A-B和C高于D和无淋巴水肿，对于T1，A-B最高）。此外，MRI上的六对FOM体积与相邻可触及部位的HN-LEF评分呈强负相关（p < 0.05）。
MRI SI和结构体积都有可能成为HNC患者水肿性软组织状态的成像生物标志物。
