title: Prognostic role for diffusion-weighted imaging of pediatric optic pathway glioma.
abstract: Optic pathway glioma (OPG) has an unpredictable course, with poor correlation between conventional imaging features and tumor progression. We investigated whether diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) predicts the clinical behavior of these tumors. Twelve children with OPG (median age 2.7 years; range 0.4-6.2 years) were followed for a median 4.4 years with DWI. Progression-free survival (time to requiring therapy) was compared between tumors stratified by apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) from initial pre-treatment scans. Tumors with baseline ADC greater than 1,400 × 10(-6) mm(2)/s required treatment earlier than those with lower ADC (log-rank p = 0.002). In some cases, ADC increased leading up to treatment, and declined following treatment with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. Baseline ADC was higher in tumors that eventually required treatment (1,562 ± 192 × 10(-6) mm(2)/s), compared with those conservatively managed (1,123 ± 114 × 10(-6) mm(2)/s) (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.013). Higher ADC predicted earlier tumor progression in this cohort and in some cases declined after therapy. Evaluation of OPG with DWI may therefore be useful for predicting tumor behavior and assessing treatment response.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Radiology, Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Yeom
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Lober
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Andre
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: M S B
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Partap
mesh_terms: D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D020339:Optic Nerve Glioma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate