Association of apparent diffusion coefficient with Ki-67 proliferation index, progesterone-receptor status and various histopathological parameters, and its utility in predicting the high grade in meningiomas

Background Accurate preoperative determination of the histological grade and cellular proliferative potential of meningioma by non-invasive imaging is of paramount importance. Purpose To evaluate the utility of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in determining the histological grade of meningioma, and to investigate the correlation of ADC with Ki-67 proliferation index (PI), progesterone receptor (PR) status, and a number of other histopathological parameters. Material and Methods Histopathologically confirmed 94 meningioma patients (72 low-grade, 22 high-grade) who had undergone preoperative diffusion-weighted imaging were retrospectively evaluated. ADC values were obtained by manually drawing the regions of interest (ROIs) within the solid components of the tumor. The relationship between ADC and Ki-67 values, PR status, and multiple histopathological parameters were investigated, and the ADC values of high-grade and low-grade meningiomas were compared. Independent sample t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, receiver operating characteristic, Pearson correlation, and multiple logistic regression analysis were used for statistical assessment. Results All ADC and rADC values were significantly lower in high-grade meningiomas than in low-grade meningiomas (all P < 0.05). ADC values showed significantly negative correlations with Ki-67 and mitotic index ( P < 0.001 for each). Numerous ADC parameters were significantly lower in meningiomas demonstrating hypercellularity and necrosis features ( P < 0.05). ADC values did not show a significant correlation with PR score (all P > 0.05). Conclusion ADC can be utilized as a reliable imaging biomarker for predicting the proliferative potential and histological grade in meningiomas.