Brain MR Spectroscopy Detects Response to Chemo
A research team in Phoenix compared the efficacy of MR spectroscopy (MRS) to CT and MRI scans in detecting patient response to chemotherapy regimens for brain malignancy. Findings from the effort were published by Science Daily.
The group from the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center participated in a pilot trial initially commenced at the Montreal Neurological Institute. The trial was started to evaluate patients with recurrent brain tumors receiving chemotherapy. The question under investigation was whether or not tumors response to treatment could be determined by assessing changes in brain metabolism with MRS.
Findings indicate that evaluation with MRS allows earlier identification of tumor response compared to both MRI and CT. MRS additionally supports faster assessment compared to traditional imaging approaches that detail structures, as well as neurological status evaluations.
An additional benefit of MRS is that patients are not exposed to radiation. With MRS, clinicians can identify response, or lack thereof, early. This allows modification to treatment plans for those patients who are not responding to treatment regimens, before symptoms of advanced disease develop. Plans for a follow-up study are underway.
September 3, 2008 Related topics: Imaging, Diagnostic, Radiology, Hematology & Oncology