Apparent diffusion coefficient values are increased in the Choroid Plexus following chemotherapy

Motivation: The choroid plexus (CP) constitutes the blood-CSF barrier, and thereby modulates passage of toxins, such as chemotherapy, into the central nervous system, but effects on the CP itself are unknown. Goal(s): Using ADC, we aim to investigate the effect of chemotherapy on the CP. Approach: At 3 Tesla, we obtained 200 ADC maps from 100 age-matched brain tumor patients after chemotherapy and 100 patients without tumor-specific therapy. Mean values for manually segmented CP VOIs were analyzed. Results: ADC values in the CP were significantly higher following chemotherapy (p<0.001), and more cycles of chemotherapy received were associated with higher ADC values. Impact: ADC values in the choroid plexus are higher after chemotherapy, with more cycles of chemotherapy associated with higher ADC. These results are particularly relevant to future clinical application, such as monitoring of chemotherapy side effects, and estimation of long-term toxicity.