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• Review •
Advances in DWI models for treatment response assessment in rectal cancer
LI Wanqing  ZHANG Guangwen  ZHANG Jinsong 

Cite this article as: LI W Q, ZHANG G W, ZHANG J S. Advances in DWI models for treatment response assessment in rectal cancer[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2025, 16(10): 196-201. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.10.031.


[Abstract] Precise early diagnosis and dynamic therapeutic monitoring of rectal cancer have emerged as pivotal challenges in clinical oncology. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), by characterizing the restricted Brownian motion of water molecules, enables non-invasive interrogation of structural heterogeneity within the tumor microenvironment. Various diffusion models demonstrate considerable application value in rectal cancer treatment response assessment, yet each exhibits unique technical characteristics, applicable conditions, and inherent limitations. Despite technological advancements, critical knowledge gaps persist regarding the mechanistic correlations between imaging parameters and tumor microenvironmental features, the clinical translation of advanced diffusion models, and the integration of multimodal imaging data. Current limitations in assessment based on DWI models include the lack of standardized scanning protocols, insufficient utilization of advanced analytical approaches, and inadequate multimodal data integration. Future developments should focus on optimizing acquisition parameters while incorporating artificial intelligence and multimodal data fusion techniques to enhance assessment accuracy. This review synthesizes recent progress in DWI models for rectal cancer treatment evaluation, aiming to provide a foundation for subsequent research in this evolving field.
[Keywords] rectal cancer；magnetic resonance imaging；diffusion-weighted imaging；intravoxel incoherent motion；stretched exponential model；diffusion kurtosis imaging；pathological complete response

LI Wanqing   ZHANG Guangwen   ZHANG Jinsong*  

Department of Radiology, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China

Corresponding author: ZHANG J S, E-mail: stspine@163.com

Conflicts of interest   None.

Received  2025-07-04
Accepted  2025-10-10
DOI: 10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.10.031
Cite this article as: LI W Q, ZHANG G W, ZHANG J S. Advances in DWI models for treatment response assessment in rectal cancer[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2025, 16(10): 196-201. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.10.031.

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