T2* relaxometry maps of the uterus – Future prospectives with oncology implications

T2* relaxometry mapping has found diverse applications in neuroradiology but was insufficiently evaluated in pelvis MRI. Further, staging of the uterine-related cancers may be sometimes a cumbersome. Our aim is to present the T2* relaxometry maps respectively relaxometry and proton density values in patients with endometrial and cervical cancer, together with their postoperative outcomes. Three patients with uterine-related cancers underwent a 3T pelvic MRI examination. The protocol included a large field-of-view (FOV = 28 cm), a short (TE=30 ms) and a long (TE = 200 ms) echo time sequences. T2* maps were obtained by the means of post-processing methods. Parametric maps showed same Relaxation Time (RT) between endometrial cancer and adjacent metastatic lymphadenopathy, respectively different RT between endometrial and cervical cancer. In conclusion, we presented the T2* relaxometry values of endometrial and cervical cancer, and discuss their possible implications in FIGO staging and patient management. Keywords: T2 relaxometry; T2 mapping; MRI; Endometrial cancer; Cervical cancer; FIGO staging.