Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) signal intensity and distribution represent the amount of cancer cells and their distribution in primary lung cancer

The aim of this study was to interpret diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) signals in lung cancers. They were converted into several three-dimensional DWI signals patterns, which represent the degree of DWI signal intensity by height and the degree of distribution by area: flat, low elevation, irregular elevation, single-peak elevation, multiple-peak elevation, and nodular elevation. There were 39 adenocarcinomas and 21 squamous cell carcinomas. Three-dimensional DWI signals decreased significantly in order of cell differentiation. Tumor cellular densities were increased according to the increase in three-dimensional DWI signals. DWI signal intensity and distribution can represent the amount of cancer cells and their distribution in the carcinoma.