Longitudinal assessment of changes in brain metabolism in the normal-appearing white matter of patients with lower-grade glioma.

Motivation: Metabolic characteristics related to treatment in patients with Lower-grade gliomas (LrGG) can improve survival outcomes and quality of life. Goal(s): The goal of this study was to evaluate longitudinal changes in metabolite ratios of pre-treated LrGG patients who received no further treatment. Approach: The study uses quantified metabolite ratios obtained from 3D MRSI in an existing LrGG cohort and statistically compared those ratios across different pre-treatment groups and baseline. Results: Although all treatment groups show no statistically significant differences at 3 time points, two treatment groups display significant changes of metabolite ratios at 6 months and past 24 months. Impact: Results of this study can provide insight into if different treatments can impact a patient's neurocognitive function that is tied with metabolite profile. The finding can also provide suggestions on when re-treatment is recommended for patients with LrGG.