Does heterogeneous signal mean cancer?

Cancer is a heterogeneous disease. Practically from the moment pathologists first looked at human cancers under the microscope, they saw that differing histologic appearances could define distinct subtypes of cancers from the same primary site of origin.

What is a T2 mass?

The T2 signal was classified by comparing the signal intensity of the mass to the normal axillary lymph nodes. A mass that was as hyperintense as the lymph nodes was considered T2 hyperintense, and borderline cases were resolved by consensus discussion among the readers.

Can MRI detect synovial sarcoma?

Although certain signs can suggest synovial sarcoma in the differential diagnosis, MRI findings are by no means pathognomonic, and histologic analysis of the involved tissue is usually required for definitive diagnosis.

Can you tell if a mass is cancerous with an MRI?

MRI creates pictures of soft tissue parts of the body that are sometimes hard to see using other imaging tests. MRI is very good at finding and pinpointing some cancers. An MRI with contrast dye is the best way to see brain and spinal cord tumors. Using MRI, doctors can sometimes tell if a tumor is or isn’t cancer.

What does homogeneous mass mean?

A mass that exhibits essentially the same physical properties at every point throughout the mass.

Can a benign tumor be heterogeneous?

In contrast, 91 of the 164 benign lesions (56%) were heterogeneous on T2WI. Univariate analysis showed that depth, size and heterogeneity on T2WI differed significantly between benign and malignant masses.

What does heterogeneous lesion mean?

Heterogeneous is a word pathologists use to describe tissue that looks very different from one area of the tissue to the next. Differences in colour, shape, and size can make a tissue look heterogeneous. Heterogeneous can be used to describe the way the tissue looks with or without a microscope.

What is a T2 lesion?

T2 weighted imaging identifies MS lesions as high signal foci against the low signal background of white matter. However, periventricular lesions are often indistinguishable from the adjacent CSF which is also of high signal with T2 weighting.

What does synovial sarcoma look like on MRI?

On T1-weighted MR images, synovial sarcoma typically appears as a prominently heterogeneous multilobulated soft-tissue mass with signal intensity similar to or slightly higher than that of muscle (,60–,65).