Development of MRF for Characterization of Brain Tumors After Radiotherapy

Although Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is utilized as an effective treatment method, after several months to over 1 year following SRS, 33% of treated brain metastases increase in size on imaging, which is suspicious for tumor progression. However, based on findings in follow-up biopsies, the majority of newly detected metastases on imaging are radiation treatment effects instead of active tumor. So far, the only gold standard to differentiate active tumor and radiation necrosis is surgical resection for pathologic confirmation, which is invasive, not favored for poor surgical candidates, and should be avoided in cases of necrosis. The existing clinical imaging techniques have poor sensitivity or specificity in differentiating these two types of tissues. Recently, a novel MRI data acquisition approach, namely MR Fingerprinting (MRF), has been introduced for the simultaneous measurement of multiple important parameters in a single MRI scan. In addition, quantitative diffusion MRI, such as the intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) technique, can provide a noninvasive and powerful tool to quantify microstructural information by measuring water diffusion and microcirculation perfusion in vivo. This study aims to demonstrate the clinical feasibility of combining MRF with state-of-the-art parallel imaging techniques to achieve high-resolution quantitative imaging within a reasonable scan time of 5 min for whole brain coverage. It also aims to apply the developed quantitative approach in combination with IVIM MRI for the differentiation of tumor recurrence and radiation necrosis. The multi-parametric quantitative measures developed in this study could establish a new fundamental biomarker for the diagnosis and monitoring of brain tumors.

Inclusion criteria

for Healthy Participants:

• Ages 18 - 60
• No history of cerebrovascular disease
• No cognitive impairments
• Able to provide informed consent

Inclusion criteria

for Participants with Brain Tumors:

• Biopsy-proven cases of developed recurrent tumor or radiation necrosis, OR
• a. PET identified with developed recurrent tumor or radiation necrosis. OR
• b. Highly suspicious case with developed recurrent tumor or radiation necrosis confirmed by tumor board, attending physician or surgeon.
• ECOG performance status 0-2.
• Life expectancy > 6 months.
• Participant with other sites of extracranial metastatic disease or any prior or current systemic therapies will be considered and evaluated by the investigators of the study on a subject basis.

Inclusion criteria

for Participants with Brain Metastases or Primary Gliomas:

• Radiology identified with developed primary gliomas tumor or brain metastases, OR
• a. PET identified with developed gliomas tumor or brain metastases, OR
• b. Highly suspicious case with developed gliomas tumor or brain metastases confirmed by tumor board
• Participants must not have received prior radiation or surgical treatment for brain metastases or primary glioma.
• Age: 18 years and over
• ECOG performance status 0-2
• Life expectancy > 6 months.
• Participant with other sites of extracranial metastatic disease or any prior or current systemic therapies will be considered and evaluated by the investigators of the study on a subject basis.

Inclusion criteria

for Participants with Meningiomas:

• Radiology identified with resectable meningioma
• Participants have no prior radiation or surgical treatment for brain lesions
• Age: 18 years or older
• ECOG performance status 0-2
• Life expectancy > 6 months.
• Participants with other sites of extracranial metastatic disease or any prior or current systemic therapies will be considered and evaluated by the investigators of the study on a subject basis.

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnant women OR lactating women
• Participants with ferromagnetic or otherwise non-MRI compatible aneurysm clips.
• Participants who cannot go into the MRI scanner due to metal implants and other medical conditions.
• The presence of an implanted medical device that is not MRI-compatible, including, but not limited to: pacemaker, defibrillator.
• Participants with contraindications for MRI due to embedded foreign metallic objects such as bullets, shrapnel, metalwork fragments, or other metallic material.
• Known history of severe claustrophobia.
• Participants unable to lay still in the scanner for 30 minutes at a time.