Novel imaging technique could be used to tailor glioblastoma treatment
A novel MRI technique could improve the treatment of deadly glioblastoma cancers in real-time, according to new research presented this week at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting.
The MRI linear accelerator, or MRI-linac, technique combines daily brain imaging with radiation therapy treatments. It allows providers to quantify changes in tumor size through patients’ glioblastoma treatment, providing early indications of treatment efficacy and enabling adjustments as needed, experts involved in the research suggested during the presentation.
The work comes from researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“Our study shows that these daily scans can serve as an early warning sign for potential tumor growth,” first author Kaylie Cullison, an MD/PhD student in the Miller School’s Medical Scientist Training Program, noted.
The research, which was led by Eric A. Mellon, MD, PhD, a radiation oncologist and co-leader of Sylvester’s Neurologic Cancer Site Disease Group, followed dozens of glioblastoma patients throughout a six-week course of radiation therapy and a series of MRI brain scans.
Patients first completed a contrast-enhanced MRI scan at the beginning of their treatment, and then again one month after their treatment concluded; in between, patients underwent daily nonenhanced scans using the MRI-linac technique, which provides more detailed imaging from inside the brain without requiring contrast media. The daily scans were compared alongside the contrast-enhanced exams to determine whether changes in tumor size were visible without contrast.
The team found that the MRI-linac imaging provided the same detailed insight into changes in tumor size as standard pre- and post-treatment contrast-enhanced imaging for three-fourths of the patients. For all of the subjects, MRI-linac predicted tumor growth.
If this technique were to be routinely deployed for glioblastoma patients, providers could use the daily images to determine whether radiation therapy treatments need to be adjusted weeks earlier. In a cancer that carries a significantly higher mortality rate, adapting treatment to address any identified tumor growth has great potential to improve patient outcomes.
ASTRO 2024 is set to conclude on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.