Research progress of MRI in glioma grading and molecular genetic biomarkers

Abstract

The pathological and imaging diagnosis of glioma has significantly evolved in recent years. Glioma grading, together with a number of molecular genetic biomarkers, has been recognized as an important prognostic and predictive factor, which can also guide the treatment strategy of glioma. This article highlights the research progress of MRI for noninvasively grading and molecular characterization of gliomas, including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI), perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). The multiparametric imaging data analysis could improve imaging diagnosis, introduce the potential to noninvasively detect underlying molecular features of glioma, finally improve the accuracy of prognosis prediction and guide the individual-based treatment for glioma patients.

DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2017.01.013