Open AccessDiffusion-weighted MRI as a biomarker for treatment response in glioma
Author(s) -
Kathleen M. Schmainda
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
cns oncology (print)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.866
H-Index - 20
eISSN - 2045-0915
pISSN - 2045-0907
DOI - 10.2217/cns.12.25
Subject(s) - glioma , medicine , biomarker , diffusion mri , imaging biomarker , oncology , diffusion , magnetic resonance imaging , cancer research , radiology , biology , genetics , physics , thermodynamics
Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is a powerful MRI method, which probes abnormalities of tissue structure by detecting microscopic changes in water mobility at a cellular level beyond what is available with other imaging techniques. Accordingly, DWI has the potential to identify pathology before gross anatomic changes are evident on standard anatomical brain images. These features of tissue characterization and earlier detection are what make DWI particularly appealing for the evaluation of gliomas and the newer therapies where standard anatomical imaging is proving insufficient. This article focuses on the basic principles and applications of DWI, and its derived parameter, the apparent diffusion coefficient, for the purposes of diagnosis and evaluation of glioma, especially in the context of monitoring response to therapy.