predicting which bc brain mets are associated with shorter survival by MRspectroscopy

[Lani]

Translation: by using this technique (modification of MR SCANNING) THEY could separate bc brain mets into two groups--those associated with patients who lived>5 mos., those associated with patients who did not.

Of note, the study was performed in Norway (perhaps don't have as easy access to gammaknife, cyberknife etc,? access to radiosensitizing agents,
and only 26 patients were studied (perhaps not a large enough group to ensure many her2+, perhaps not treated with herceptin, etc.) Will be looking at the article further...



BMC Cancer. 2007 Jul 27;7(1):141 [Epub ahead of print]
Metabolic profiling of human brain metastases using in vivo proton MR spectroscopy at 3T.

Sjobakk TE, Johansen R, Bathen TF, Sonnewald U, Kvistad KA, Lundgren S, Gribbestad IS.
ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Metastases to the central nervous system from different primary cancers are an oncologic challenge as the overall prognosis for these patients is generally poor. The incidence of brain metastases varies with type of primary cancer and is probably increasing due to improved therapies of extracranial metastases prolonging patient's overall survival and thereby time for brain metastases to develop. In addition, the greater access to improved neuroimaging techniques can provide earlier diagnosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and multivariate analyses to characterize brain metastases originating from different primary cancers, to assess changes in spectra during radiation treatment and to correlate the spectra to clinical outcome after treatment. METHODS: Patients (n=26) with brain metastases were examined using single voxel MRS at a 3T clinical MR system. Five patients were excluded due to poor spectral quality. The spectra were obtained before start (n=21 patients), immediately after (n=6 patients) and two months after end of treatment (n=4 patients). Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square regression analysis (PLS) were applied in order to identify clustering of spectra due to origin of metastases and to relate clinical outcome (survival) of the patients to spectral data from the first MR examination. RESULTS: The PCA results indicated that brain metastases from primary lung and breast cancer were separated into two clusters, while the metastases from malignant melanomas showed no uniformity. The PLS analysis showed a significant correlation between MR spectral data and survival five months after MRS before start of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: MRS determined metabolic profiles analysed by PCA and PLS might give valuable clinical information when planning and evaluating the treatment of brain metastases, and also when deciding to terminate further therapies.
PMID: 17662122 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]