Janine M. Lupo1, Cynthia Chuang2,
Bert Jimenez1, Susan M. Chang3, Igor J. Barani2,
Christopher P. Hess1, Sarah J. Nelson1,4
1Department of Radiology and Biomedical
Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United
States; 2Department of Radiation Oncology, University of
California, San Francisco, United States; 3Department of
Neurosurgery, University of California, San Francisco, United States; 4Department
of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San
Francisco, United States
The
potential effects of radiotherapy on neurocognitive ability and quality of
life has recently become of great importance as new treatments extend
survival in less malignant grade brain tumors. We used Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging at
7T to evaluate the long-term effects of radiation therapy on normal-appearing
brain tissue in 20 glioma patients. Microbleeds appeared in irradiated
patients after 2 years from receiving therapy, but not in patients treated
with only chemotherapy. The prevalence of these lesions increased over time
since receiving radiation therapy. The
majority of these microbleeds resided within tissue that received 98% of the
maximum dose.