Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of thymoma: ability of the Apparent Diffusion Coefficient in predicting the World Health Organization (WHO) classification and the Masaoka-Koga staging system and its prognostic significance on disease-free survival

Aim of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance for distinguishing thymomas according to WHO and Masaoka-Koga classifications and in predicting disease-free survival (DFS) by using the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). We found that ADC helps to differentiate high-risk from lowrisk thymomas and discriminates the more aggressive type-B3. Primary tumour ADC is a prognostic indicator of recurrence.