Individualized metabolic brain network alterations in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: an ¹⁸F-FDG PET study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Oncology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) can impact cognitive function.
• Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of cognitive impairment in DLBCL is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare brain network topology between DLBCL patients and healthy controls.
• To investigate how network topology relates to cognitive performance in DLBCL patients.

Main Methods:

• 104 DLBCL patients and 33 controls underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT scans.
• Individual metabolic brain networks were constructed using KLSE and analyzed with graph theory.
• Cognitive function was assessed using MMSE, MoCA, and FACT-Cog.

Main Results:

• DLBCL patients, both baseline and post-chemotherapy, showed lower cognitive scores than controls.
• Global network topology was similar, but nodal differences were observed in frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital regions.
• Nodal network metrics correlated significantly with cognitive scores.

Conclusions:

• DLBCL patients exhibit regional brain network alterations despite preserved global organization.
• These nodal network changes are linked to cognitive performance.
• 18F-FDG PET/CT-based metabolic brain network analysis provides insights into DLBCL-related cognitive impairment.