Effects of Surgery and Proton Therapy on Cerebral White Matter of Craniopharyngioma Patients.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine radiation dose effect on the structural integrity of cerebral white matter in craniopharyngioma patients receiving surgery and proton therapy.


METHODS
Fifty-one patients (2.1-19.3 years of age) with craniopharyngioma underwent surgery and proton therapy in a prospective therapeutic trial. Anatomical magnetic resonance images acquired after surgery but before proton therapy were inspected to identify white matter structures intersected by surgical corridors and catheter tracks. Longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed to measure microstructural integrity changes in cerebral white matter. Fractional anisotropy (FA) derived from DTI was statistically analyzed for 51 atlas-based white matter structures of the brain to determine radiation dose effect. FA in surgery-affected regions in the corpus callosum was compared to that in its intact counterpart to determine whether surgical defects affect radiation dose effect.


RESULTS
Surgical defects were seen most frequently in the corpus callosum because of transcallosal resection of tumors and insertion of ventricular or cyst catheters. Longitudinal DTI data indicated reductions in FA 3 months after therapy, which was followed by a recovery in most white matter structures. A greater FA reduction was correlated with a higher radiation dose in 20 white matter structures, indicating a radiation dose effect. The average FA in the surgery-affected regions before proton therapy was smaller (P=.0001) than that in their non-surgery-affected counterparts with more intensified subsequent reduction of FA (P=.0083) after therapy, suggesting that surgery accentuated the radiation dose effect.


CONCLUSIONS
DTI data suggest that mild radiation dose effects occur in patients with craniopharyngioma receiving surgery and proton therapy. Surgical defects present at the time of proton therapy appear to accentuate the radiation dose effect longitudinally. This study supports consideration of pre-existing surgical defects and their locations in proton therapy planning and studies of treatment effect.
Department of Radiological Sciences, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee. Electronic address: jinsoo.uh@stjude.org.
Jinsoo
J
Uh
Department of Radiological Sciences, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
Thomas E
TE
Merchant
Department of Biostatistics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
Yimei
Y
Li
Department of Biostatistics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
Xingyu
X
Li
Department of Radiological Sciences, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
Noah D
ND
Sabin
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida, Jacksonville, Florida.
Daniel J
DJ
Indelicato
Department of Radiological Sciences, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
Robert J
RJ
Ogg
Semmes-Murphey Neurologic and Spine Institute, Memphis, Tennessee.
Frederick A
FA
Boop
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.
John A
JA
Jane
Department of Radiological Sciences, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
Chiaho
C
Hua
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000601:surgery; D003397:Craniopharyngioma / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D061766:Proton Therapy; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D066127:White Matter / Q000528:radiation effects* / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult