Correlation between volumetric CT imaging and autopsy measurements of glioblastoma size

A three-dimensional reconstruction and display technique (THREAD SYSTEM) for serial computed tomography (CT) was employed in monitoring tumor volumes in two children under chemotherapy for glioblastoma multiforme of the cerebral hemispheres. Progressive diminution of tumor bulk was documented in the first patient and an increase in volume in the second. The first patient expired of the complications of his therapy and the second of transtentorial herniation. Independent measurements of the tumors as determined by a CT scan near the times of death and tumor dimensions measured at autopsy revealed good correlations between the radiographic and the anatomical data. The final CT measurement of tumor volume of 20 cm3 compared with an autopsy calculation of 13.3 cm3 in the first case. In the second case, CT volume was 417 cm3 and the actual volume of the primary tumor mass at autopsy was 437 cm3. The results suggest that the THREAD system is a practical method for monitoring the results of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in certain types of cerebral neoplasms.