Prognostic Value of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) in Patients with Diffuse Gliomas

Area of Science:

• Neuro-oncology
• Radiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Diffuse gliomas are aggressive brain tumors requiring effective prognostic markers.
• Assessing treatment response and survival outcomes is crucial for patient management.
• Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and ADC values offer insights into tissue microstructure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate posttreatment ADC value changes in normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) adjacent to glioma lesions.
• To investigate the correlation between ADC values, treatment response, and survival in diffuse glioma patients.
• To explore the potential of NAWM ADC values as a prognostic biomarker.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 49 patients with Grade III/IV gliomas treated with surgery and radio-chemotherapy.
• Acquisition of baseline and follow-up MRI scans using a 1.5 T scanner.
• Region of interest (ROI) placement in ipsilateral and contralateral NAWM on ADC maps for analysis.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in ipsilateral and contralateral NAWM ADC values were observed between short and long survival groups at follow-up.
• Weak negative correlations were found between baseline NAWM ADC values and survival, which strengthened at follow-up.
• ADC values in NAWM demonstrated significant differences between survival groups post-treatment.

Conclusions:

• ADC values in normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) show potential as a prognostic biomarker for diffuse gliomas.
• Posttreatment ADC changes in NAWM correlate with survival outcomes.
• NAWM ADC analysis may aid in predicting patient prognosis and guiding treatment strategies.