01515nas a2200265   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002260001200043653001100055653001300066653003100079653003100110653002700141100003100168700003900199700002200238700002400260700002700284245008400311856009800395300000900493490000600502520072700508022001401235       2017                            d  c09/201710aCancer10aMedicine10aDiffusion-weighted Imaging10aMagnetic Resonance Imaging10aTumor Characterization1 aCristina Utrilla Contreras1 aNelson Mauricio Buitrago Sánchez1 aJoachim Graessner1 aPilar García Raya1 aBegoña Marin Aguilera00aDifusion-Weighted MRI: from Brownian Motion to Head&Neck Tumor Characterization  uhttp://www.ijimai.org/journal/sites/default/files/files/2016/12/ijimai20174_5_1_pdf_76297.pdf  a6-140 v43 aThis paper describes basic physics as well as clinical applications of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. This is a technique that provides complementary information to conventional imaging sequences and it is applied in the field of oncologic imaging. This paper focuses on its specific application in head and neck, mainly in cancer patients, for characterization of primary tumors, and also for monitoring and predicting treatment response after chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Last, although diffusion-weighted imaging is shown to add value in several areas by being part of the multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging approach, there are some unsolved challenges, which are proposed as future work.  a1989-1660