Reductions in Blood Volume in Normal White Matter Are Found in Glioma Patients Treated with Bevacizumab

Vishal Patil¹, Glyn Johnson¹

DSC MRI measurements of relative cerebral blood volume, referenced to normal appearing white matter (NAWM), are frequently used in monitoring treatment response. Bevacizumab is the first FDA approved anti-angiogenic agent and has shown efficacy in glioma when used in combination with conventional cytotoxic agents. In this study we calculated NAWM CBV in three sets of patients groups; 1) never received bevacizumab, 2) received bevacizumab after initial diagnosis and 3) only after reoccurrence. Results show significant reductions in NAWM CBV after treatment with bevacizumab, suggesting that care need be exercised in the use of rCBV measurements to monitor treatment response.