Differences in spatial distribution between WHO 2016 low-grade glioma molecular subgroups.
Maarten M J Wijnenga1, Sebastian R van der Voort2,3, Pim J French1
1Department of Neurology, Brain Tumor Center at Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Neuro-Oncology Advances
|April 23, 2021
Summary
Low-grade glioma (LGG) subtypes show distinct spatial distributions in the brain, aiding presurgical planning. IDH-mutated LGGs favor frontal lobes, while IDH-wildtype tumors are found in the basal ganglia.
Area of Science:
- Neuro-oncology
- Brain Tumor Genetics
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Low-grade gliomas (LGGs) exhibit correlations between anatomical location and genetic profiles.
- Tumor location is a potential factor in presurgical clinical decision-making for LGGs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To visualize and compare the spatial distribution of different WHO 2016 glioma subtypes.
- To analyze the distribution of frequently aberrated single genes and DNA copy number variations (CNVs) within glioma subgroups.
- To correlate tumor location with postoperative tumor volume groups.
Main Methods:
- Included adult grade II glioma patients (WHO 2016) diagnosed between 2003-2016.
- Assessed tumor volume and location using semi-automatic software, mapping to a standard reference brain.
- Created location heatmaps for glioma subgroups, genes, CNVs, and tumor volume groups, with differences analyzed via voxelwise permutation testing.
Main Results:
- Analyzed 110 IDH-mutated astrocytoma, 92 IDH-mutated and 1p19q co-deleted oligodendroglioma, and 22 IDH-wildtype astrocytoma patients.
- IDH-mutated LGGs were more common in frontal lobes; IDH-wildtype tumors were more frequent in the right basal ganglia.
- Loss of 9p was noted in oligodendrogliomas (left parietal lobes); extensive resections correlated with frontal LGG locations.
Conclusions:
- WHO low-grade glioma subgroups demonstrate significant differences in their spatial distribution within the brain.
- These findings can potentially enhance presurgical clinical decision-making for patients with LGGs.
