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Applying protein-based amide proton transfer MR imaging to distinguish solitary brain metastases from glioblastoma

  • Molecular Imaging
  • Published:
European Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

To determine the utility of amide proton transfer-weighted (APTw) MR imaging in distinguishing solitary brain metastases (SBMs) from glioblastomas (GBMs).

Methods

Forty-five patients with SBMs and 43 patients with GBMs underwent conventional and APT-weighted sequences before clinical intervention. The APTw parameters and relative APTw (rAPTw) parameters in the tumour core and the peritumoral brain zone (PBZ) were obtained and compared between SBMs and GBMs. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the best parameter for distinguishing between the two groups.

Results

The APTwmax, APTwmin, APTwmean, rAPTwmax, rAPTwmin or rAPTwmean values in the tumour core were not significantly different between the SBM and GBM groups (P = 0.141, 0.361, 0.221, 0.305, 0.578 and 0.448, respectively). However, the APTwmax, APTwmin, APTwmean, rAPTwmax, rAPTwmin or rAPTwmean values in the PBZ were significantly lower in the SBM group than in the GBM group (P < 0.001). The APTwmin values had the highest area under the ROC curve 0.905 and accuracy 85.2% in discriminating between the two neoplasms.

Conclusion

As a noninvasive imaging method, APT-weighted MR imaging can be used to distinguish SBMs from GBMs.

Key Points

• APTw values in the tumour core were not different between SBMs and GBMs.

• APTw values in peritumoral brain zone were lower in SBMs than in GBMs.

• The APTw min was the best parameter to distinguish SBMs from GBMs.

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Abbreviations

GBM:

Glioblastoma

SBM:

Solitary brain metastases

APT:

Amide proton transfer

APTw:

APT-weighted

rAPTw:

Relative APTw

CEST:

Chemical exchange-based saturation transfer

CNAWM:

Contralateral normal-appearing white matter

Gd:

Gadolinium

H&E:

Haematoxylin and eosin

PBZ:

Peritumoral brain zone

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Acknowledgements

This study was partially supported by grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China (81171322), Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation (2014A030313271, S2012010009114), Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Project (2014A020212726), Southern Medical University clinical research project (LC2016ZD028) and the National Institutes of Health (R01EB009731, R01CA166171).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Gongye Road M No.253, Haizhu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510282, China

    Hao Yu, Tianyu Zou, Xianlong Wang, Shanshan Jiang, Yongxing Du, Chunxiu Jiang, Ling Ma, Jianbin Zhu, Wen He, Qihong Rui & Zhibo Wen

  2. Department of Geriatrics, The First People’ Hospital of Guangzhou, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510180, China

    Huiling Lou

  3. Department of Medical Image Center, Yuebei People’s Hospital, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, China

    Zhongqing Huang

  4. Division of MR Research, Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600N. Wolfe Street, Park 336, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Shanshan Jiang & Jianyuan Zhou

Authors
  1. Hao Yu
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  2. Huiling Lou
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  3. Tianyu Zou
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  11. Wen He
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  14. Zhibo Wen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhibo Wen.

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Guarantor

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Zhibo Wen, MD.

Conflict of interest

The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies, whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article.

Funding

This study is partially supported by grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China (81171322), Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (2014A030313271), Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Project (2014A020212726), Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (S2012010009114), Southern Medical University clinical research project (LC2016ZD028) and the National Institutes of Health (R01EB009731, R01CA166171).

Statistics and biometry

No complex statistical methods were necessary for this article.

Informed consent

Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects (patients) in this study.

Ethical approval

Institutional Review Board approval was obtained.

Methodology

• retrospective

• diagnostic or prognostic study

• performed at one institution

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Yu, H., Lou, H., Zou, T. et al. Applying protein-based amide proton transfer MR imaging to distinguish solitary brain metastases from glioblastoma. Eur Radiol 27, 4516–4524 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-017-4867-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-017-4867-z

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