3 Tesla MRI in Patients With Bladder Cancer

OBJECTIVES: Primary * To evaluate whether 3 Tesla MRI can accurately determine the primary tumor (T) stage and pelvic lymph nodes (N) stage in patients with localized bladder cancer as compared to histopathology staging. Secondary * To determine whether 3 Tesla MRI can determine if the primary bladder tumor is responding to neoadjuvant chemotherapy at the mid-point of the planned treatment (after 2 courses). * To assess whether an ex-vivo ultra-high-field MRI (4.7-11.7 Tesla) tissue scan can more accurately determine clinical stage of a primary bladder tumor and local extent of the disease (i.e., involvement of contiguous organs and regional lymph nodes) as compared to histopathology staging. OUTLINE: Patients may receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy (typically four 21-day courses of cisplatin-based therapy) followed by standard radical cystectomy and lymph node dissection. Patients undergo a 3 Tesla MRI scan at baseline to stage the primary tumor, regional lymph nodes, and to rule out distant sites of disease. The MRI includes diagnostic high-resolution anatomical images (e.g., T1-weighted and T2-weighted images along axial or optimal directions) and experimental images including functional MRI (e.g., dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, diffusion-weighted MRI, MR spectroscopy, and chemical exchange-dependent saturation-transfer imaging). Patients also undergo a 3 Tesla MRI scan after 2 courses of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and after completion of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Patients not receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy undergo a 3 Tesla MRI scan 2-4 weeks before radical cystectomy and lymph node dissection. Specimens from the radical cystectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection are examined ex-vivo by ultra-high-field MRI and the Micro-Imaging Specimen Study Form is completed. The specimens are then examined by the pathology department as per standard routine.