Are Dual-Phase 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose PET-mpMRI Diagnostic Performances to Distinguish Brain Tumour Radionecrosis/Recurrence after Cranial Radiotherapy Usable in Routine?

TL;DR

This study evaluates whether dual-phase PET-MRI can reliably tell the difference between brain tumor recurrence and radiation damage after cranial radiotherapy.

Contribution

The study introduces dual-phase 18F-FDG PET-mpMRI as a potential diagnostic tool for distinguishing radionecrosis from tumor recurrence.

Findings

Dual-phase PET-mpMRI showed 85.7% sensitivity and 75% specificity in qualitative analysis.

Using contralateral frontal lobe noise improved sensitivity to 92% and specificity to 63%.

For metastatic lesions, the method achieved 100% sensitivity and specificity.

Abstract

Distinguishing radionecrosis from local recurrence after cranial radiotherapy remains a challenging diagnostic dilemma due to their overlapping clinical manifestations. Although new MRI techniques and metabolic imaging have been developed, diagnostic performance remains variable. Recently, our institution acquired a PET-MRI, enabling us to investigate the diagnostic performance of multiparametric MRI when used in dual-phase 18F-FDG PET-mpMRI to enhance diagnostic accuracy.

Brain metastases or primary brain tumours had poor prognosis until the use of high dose radiotherapy. However, radionecrosis is a complex challenge in the post-radiotherapy management of these patients due to the difficulty of distinguishing this complication from local tumour recurrence. MRI alone has a variable specificity and sensibility, as does PET-CT imaging. We aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of dual-phase 18F-FDG PET-mpMRI to distinguish cerebral radionecrosis from local tumour recurrence after cranial radiotherapy. A retrospective analysis was conducted between May 2021 and September 2022. Inclusion criteria encompassed patients with inconclusive MRI findings post-radiotherapy and history of cerebral radiotherapy for primary or metastatic brain lesions. Lesions are assessed qualitatively and semi-quantitatively. The gold standard to assess radionecrosis was histopathology or a composite criterion at three months. The study evaluated 24 lesions in 23 patients. Qualitative analysis yielded 85.7% sensitivity and 75% specificity. Semi-quantitative analysis, based on contralateral background noise, achieved 100% sensitivity and 50% specificity. Moreover, using contralateral frontal lobe background noise resulted in higher performances with 92% sensitivity and 63% specificity. Stratification by lesion type demonstrated 100% sensitivity and specificity rates for metastatic lesions. The diagnostic performance of dual-phase 18F-FDG PET-mpMRI shows promising results for metastatic lesions.

Figures