The use of magnetic resonance imaging to noninvasively detect genetic signatures in oligodendroglioma.

Abstract

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. 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. 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. This new method of MR image interpretation may have the potential to augment the diagnostic assessment of patients with suspected low-grade glioma.