Investigating the potential association between the continuous-time random-walk MR diffusion model and lymph node metastasis and vascular invasion in patients with rectal cancer: A preliminary exploratory study
- 1Department of Radiology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China.
- 2Central Research Institute, United Imaging Healthcare, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
- 3The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Health and Rehabilitation Science, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
Abstract
Objectives: To explore, as a preliminary study, the quantitative parameters of single-index and continuous-time random-walk (CTRW) magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion models and their association with lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion, and some prognostic factors in patients with rectal cancer. Methods: This retrospective, exploratory study included a total of 43 patients who were pathologically diagnosed with rectal cancer and underwent preoperative MRI between February 2022 and November 2023. The data were fitted using the single-index and CTRW diffusion models to derive ADC, Dm, α, and β parameters. Differences in quantitative diffusion parameters were assessed for lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion, and p53 status using t-tests and rank-sum tests. The associations of quantitative diffusion parameters with lymph node metastasis and vascular invasion were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: Lymph node metastasis was positive in 25 patients and negative in 18 patients; vascular invasion was positive in 30 patients and negative in 13 patients. In this initial investigation, the Dm and β values derived from the CTRW model showed a certain association with lymph node metastasis (AUCs of 0.76 and 0.76, respectively). Regarding vascular invasion, only the Dm value showed a certain association (AUC of 0.76), while the β value did not demonstrate a significant association after adjustment.The combination of Dm and β demonstrated stronger associations, with AUCs of 0.83 and 0.83, respectively. Conclusion: In this exploratory study, the diffusion parameters derived from the CTRW model may be associated with lymph node metastasis and vascular invasion in rectal cancer, but this requires external validation.
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BibTeX
@article{wu2026investigating,
title = {{Investigating the potential association between the continuous-time random-walk MR diffusion model and lymph node metastasis and vascular invasion in patients with rectal cancer: A preliminary exploratory study}},
author = {Xiong Wu and Weijun Situ and Zhichao Feng and Haitao Yang and Cheng Yu and Qilin Yu and Junjiao Hu},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0361487},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361487},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Investigating the potential association between the continuous-time random-walk MR diffusion model and lymph node metastasis and vascular invasion in patients with rectal cancer: A preliminary exploratory study
AU - Xiong Wu
AU - Weijun Situ
AU - Zhichao Feng
AU - Haitao Yang
AU - Cheng Yu
AU - Qilin Yu
AU - Junjiao Hu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0361487
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361487
AB - Objectives: To explore, as a preliminary study, the quantitative parameters of single-index and continuous-time random-walk (CTRW) magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion models and their association with lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion, and some prognostic factors in patients with rectal cancer. Methods: This retrospective, exploratory study included a total of 43 patients who were pathologically diagnosed with rectal cancer and underwent preoperative MRI between February 2022 and November 2023. The data were fitted using the single-index and CTRW diffusion models to derive ADC, Dm, α, and β parameters. Differences in quantitative diffusion parameters were assessed for lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion, and p53 status using t-tests and rank-sum tests. The associations of quantitative diffusion parameters with lymph node metastasis and vascular invasion were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: Lymph node metastasis was positive in 25 patients and negative in 18 patients; vascular invasion was positive in 30 patients and negative in 13 patients. In this initial investigation, the Dm and β values derived from the CTRW model showed a certain association with lymph node metastasis (AUCs of 0.76 and 0.76, respectively). Regarding vascular invasion, only the Dm value showed a certain association (AUC of 0.76), while the β value did not demonstrate a significant association after adjustment.The combination of Dm and β demonstrated stronger associations, with AUCs of 0.83 and 0.83, respectively. Conclusion: In this exploratory study, the diffusion parameters derived from the CTRW model may be associated with lymph node metastasis and vascular invasion in rectal cancer, but this requires external validation.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -