The Use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Noninvasively Detect Genetic Signatures in Oligodendroglioma

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Some patients with low-grade glioma have extraordinarily long survival times; current, early treatment does not prolong their lives. For this reason, therapies that sometimes have neurologic side effects are often deferred intentionally. METHODS: In a study of oligodendrogliomas, we used a quantitative method of MR analysis based on the S-transform to investigate whether codeletion of chromosomes 1p and 19q, a marker of good prognosis, could be predicted accurately by measuring image texture. RESULTS: Differences in texture were seen between tumors with codeletion of chromosomes 1p and 19q and those with intact 1p and 19q alleles on contrast-enhanced T1-weighted and T2-weighted MR images. Quantitative MR texture on T2 images predicted codeletion of chromosomes 1p and 19q with high sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSIONS: This new method of MR image interpretation may have the potential to augment the diagnostic assessment of patients with suspected low-grade glioma.