The effecTiveness of whole body MagneTic resonance iMaging (diffusion-weighTed iMaging and faT

staging of neoplasms are crucial in determination of the appropriate therapy and assessment of the prognosis. Recently, positron emission tomography (PET) with 2-deoxy-2 [F] fluoro-d-glucose (FDG) in combination with computed tomography (PET-CT) has become an important imaging modality for the staging of various tumors as well as and monitoring of the therapy and follow up in some instances (1, 2). PET/CT combines the anatomic details depicted with CT and metabolic information obtained with PET, yielding more precise anatomic information. PET/ CT has disadvantages, however, such as radiation exposure, higher cost, and limited depiction of small volumes of metabolically active tumor (1, 2). Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI), with its lack of ionizing radiation, but high contrast and spatial resolution, is a promising whole body imaging tool for detection and staging of various neoplastic diseases (2-4). WB-MRI provides mainly morphological information on tumor spread. The lack of funcincluded in the study between August 2008 and October 2012. Patient characteristics are shown in Table I. Inclusion criteria were age 18 years and older and the presence of newly diagnosed histopathologically proven malignancy. Exclusion criteria were general contraindications to MRI (such as implanted pacemaker and claustrophobia) and previous diagnosis of malignancy, previous chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The primary malignancies, which were confirmed by histopathology, included non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 6), gastric cancer (n = 3), lung cancer (n = 9), colorectal cancer (n = 7) and breast cancer (n = 11). Metastatic lesions were confirmed by follow-up over 6 months or biopsy All patients underwent WB-MRI, and PET/CT. Both examinations were performed on the same day or otherwise within a period of one week. PET/CT examinations were performed for staging purpose according to our institutional guidelines. PET-CT images were used as standard of reference.