CNN-based glioma detection in MRI: A deep learning approach

More than a million people are affected by brain tumors each year; high-grade gliomas (HGGs) and low-grade gliomas (LGGs) present serious diagnostic and treatment hurdles, resulting in shortened life expectancies. Glioma segmentation is still a significant difficulty in clinical settings, despite improvements in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and diagnostic tools. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have seen recent advancements that offer promise for increasing segmentation accuracy, addressing the pressing need for improved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

The study intended to develop an automated glioma segmentation algorithm using CNN to accurately identify tumor components in MRI images. The goal was to match the accuracy of experienced radiologists with commercial instruments, hence improving diagnostic precision and quantification.

285 MRI scans of high-grade gliomas (HGGs) and low-grade gliomas (LGGs) were analyzed in the study. T1-weighted sequences were utilised for segmentation both pre-and post-contrast agent administration, along with T2-weighted sequences (with and without Fluid Attenuation by Inversion Recovery [FAIRE]). The segmentation performance was assessed with a U-Net network, renowned for its efficacy in medical image segmentation. DICE coefficients were computed for the tumour core with contrast enhancement, the entire tumour, and the tumour nucleus without contrast enhancement.

The U-Net network produced DICE values of 0.7331 for the tumour core with contrast enhancement, 0.8624 for the total tumour, and 0.7267 for the tumour nucleus without contrast enhancement. The results align with previous studies, demonstrating segmentation accuracy on par with professional radiologists and commercially accessible segmentation tools.

The study developed a CNN-based automated segmentation system for gliomas, achieving high accuracy in recognising glioma components in MRI images. The results confirm the ability of CNNs to enhance the accuracy of brain tumour diagnoses, suggesting a promising avenue for future research in medical imaging and diagnostics. This advancement is expected to improve diagnostic processes for clinicians and patients by providing more precise and quantitative results.