Neuro-oncology
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Glioblastoma (GB) is the most frequent and aggressive primary tumor of the central nervous system. Prognosis remains poor despite ongoing progress. In cases where the gadolinium-enhanced portion of the GB is completely resected, 90% of recurrences occur at the margin of surgical resection in the macroscopically normal peritumoral brain zone (PBZ). ⋯ The high rate of local recurrence in the PBZ and the limited success of targeted therapies against GB demonstrate the need for a better understanding of the PBZ. We present here a review of the literature on the GB PBZ, focusing on its radiological, cellular, and molecular characteristics. We discuss how intraoperative analysis of the PBZ is important for the optimization of surgical resection and the development of targeted therapies against GB.
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Review
Consensus recommendations for a standardized Brain Tumor Imaging Protocol in clinical trials.
A recent joint meeting was held on January 30, 2014, with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Cancer Institute (NCI), clinical scientists, imaging experts, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, clinical trials cooperative groups, and patient advocate groups to discuss imaging endpoints for clinical trials in glioblastoma. This workshop developed a set of priorities and action items including the creation of a standardized MRI protocol for multicenter studies. ⋯ The minimum recommended sequences include: (i) parameter-matched precontrast and postcontrast inversion recovery-prepared, isotropic 3D T1-weighted gradient-recalled echo; (ii) axial 2D T2-weighted turbo spin-echo acquired after contrast injection and before postcontrast 3D T1-weighted images to control timing of images after contrast administration; (iii) precontrast, axial 2D T2-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery; and (iv) precontrast, axial 2D, 3-directional diffusion-weighted images. Recommended ranges of sequence parameters are provided for both 1.5 T and 3 T MR systems.
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To analyze the relevance of dynamic susceptibility-weighted contrast-enhanced MRI (DSC-MRI) derived relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) analysis for predicting response to bevacizumab (BEV) in patients with recurrent glioblastoma (rGB). ⋯ Pretreatment rCBV is a potential predictive imaging biomarker in BEV-treated rGB but not alkylating chemotherapy-treated rGB, which is superior to volumetric analysis of conventional anatomic MRI and predicts 6-month PFS and 12-month OS in 80% of BEV-treated patients.
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Because World Health Organization (WHO) grades II and III meningiomas are relatively uncommon, there is limited literature on the descriptive epidemiology of these tumors, and the existing literature predates the 2000 WHO classification revisions. Our purpose was to provide a modern, population-based study of the descriptive epidemiology of WHO II and III meningiomas in the United States. ⋯ This study presents the most comprehensive evaluation of the modern descriptive epidemiology of WHO II and III meningiomas. Temporal trends likely reflect the 2000 WHO histological criteria revisions.
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Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting programmed cell death 1 (PD1) or its ligand (PD-L1) showed activity in several cancer types. ⋯ TILs and PD-L1 expression are detectable in the majority of glioblastoma samples but are not related to outcome. Because the target is present, a clinical study with specific immune checkpoint inhibitors seems to be warranted in glioblastoma.