Improved Characterization of Brain Tumors By MRI and MRS

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine the magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) characteristics of patients who are undergoing treatment for supratentorial glioma.
• Determine the survival of patients who undergo magnetic resonance imaging and MRSI.
• Determine the clinical outcome of patients who undergo these imaging procedures.
• Correlate measures of metabolic tumor burden (i.e., CNI, CCCrI, CrNI, and LLI) with survival and clinical outcome in patients who undergo these imaging procedures.
• Determine the time to clinical progression in patients who undergo these imaging procedures.

OUTLINE: Patients are assigned to 1 of 2 treatment groups based on grade of disease.

• Group 1 (patients with grade II glioma): Patients undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI). Patients then receive chemotherapy. Patients undergo repeat MRI/MRSI after courses 2 and 4 of chemotherapy.
• Group 2 (patients with grade III-IV glioma): Patients undergo MRI/MRSI and then undergo surgical resection of the tumor. Patients then receive chemoradiotherapy. Patients undergo repeat MRI/MRSI within 2 weeks and at 2 months after completion of radiotherapy.

Patients are followed for recurrence, disease progression, and survival.