Cerebral Microstructural Alterations after Radiation Therapy in High-Grade Glioma: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging-Based...

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Radiotherapy Research
• Oncology

Background:

• High-grade gliomas require radiation therapy, which can cause secondary brain injury.
• Understanding radiation-induced white matter damage is crucial for patient management and treatment planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate radiation therapy-induced microstructural damage in white matter of high-grade glioma patients using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

Main Methods:

• Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed on 18 high-grade glioma patients and 13 healthy controls.
• Interhemispheric fractional anisotropy (FA) values were compared cross-sectionally and longitudinally before and after radiation therapy.
• Additional DTI metrics (axial, mean, radial diffusivity) were assessed.

Main Results:

• Significant global interhemispheric FA reductions were observed in patients post-radiation therapy compared to controls and pre-radiation patients.
• Longitudinal data confirmed progressive microstructural white matter damage following radiotherapy.
• While other DTI metrics showed trends, FA differences were most significant.

Conclusions:

• Interhemispheric global FA differences show potential as a biomarker for radiation-induced white matter damage.
• DTI offers a non-invasive method to assess microstructural changes in brain white matter after radiotherapy.