ASK THE EXPERTS: Advanced Neuroimaging of Glioblastoma

Nathalie Albert, MD, and Matthias Preusser, MD engage in an interactive discussion about the primary challenges in neuroimaging for glioblastoma patients and provide an overview of the disease.

Key opinion leaders discuss the patient journey, highlighting the clinical course of the disease and the corresponding imaging needs at each stage, such as identification of biopsy site, delineation of tumor, and differentiation of response from treatment-related effects.

Medical experts discuss the use of various neuroimaging techniques, such as MRIs, CT scans, and PET scans, emphasizing that due to limitations of MRI it is frequently combined with other modalities to obtain more comprehensive information.

Experts engage in a comprehensive discussion on conventional imaging techniques, evaluating the strengths and limitations of CT and MRI scans, particularly in delineating tumor borders and distinguishing between tumors and the surrounding central nervous system tissue.

Nathalie Albert, MD, delves into advanced MRI techniques such as perfusion imaging, functional MRI, MR spectroscopy, and DEMARCATE, while also exploring the role of PET imaging, particularly those utilizing glucose and amino acid tracers in neuroimaging.

Nathalie Albert, MD, explains that amino acid PET scans can be valuable tools in monitoring disease progression and assessing a patient's response to treatment, while also exploring the optimal timing for utilizing these scans in the overall management of brain tumors.

Medical experts engage in a discussion on the PET RANO 1.0 Response Criteria, which provides guidelines for evaluating treatment response in patients with brain tumors, taking into account both measurable PET-positive disease and non-PET-positive disease, as assessed through initial baseline imaging and subsequent follow-up scans.

Nathalie Albert, MD, and Matthias Preusser, MD, address audience questions and share their insights on promising and anticipated advancements in neuroimaging techniques, highlighting the potential impact of these emerging strategies on the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of glioblastoma.