Aim: to measure and compare the prostate apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) in patients with prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia by using diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Material and Methods: Diffusion weighted echo-planar (EPI) MR imaging was performed to 20 patients with prostate cancer and 20 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. ADCs of b600 and b1000 values were compared between the groups of patients with prostate cancer and patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Results: In patients with prostate cancer, mean ADC values that measured from patient prostates by guidance of prostate biopsy data, were 1.16x10-3±0.66x10-4 mm2/s and 1.87x10-4±2.09x10-5mm2/s for b600 and b1000 respectively. In patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, mean ADC values that measured from patient prostates by randomize selection of prostate anatomic localization, were 1.71x10-3±1.96x10-4 mm2/s and 2.90x10-4±1.58x10-5 mm2/s for b600 and b1000, respectively. ADC values that obtained from each patient prostate were significantly lower in patient group with prostate cancer than the patient group with benign prostatic hyperplasia for b600 and b1000.

Conclusion: Diffusion weighted echo-planar imaging and ADC measurements of prostate provides important informations in the differential diagnosis of prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia.