Metastasis is the most common cause of brain cancer. Advanced neuroimaging techniques are playing an increasingly important role in the surveillance, diagnosis and management of patients with brain metastases as treatments for systemic cancers continue to improve. Advanced imaging methods enable better delineation of metastatic lesions, while also providing a rich array of information regarding the microstructural, vascular, metabolic, and functional properties of metastases and the affected brain parenchyma. However, barriers remain in the widespread translation and adoption of these techniques. The challenges of imaging patients with brain metastases include the heterogeneity of primary tumors and the tumor microenvironment, as well as the varied appearance of metastases before, during and after treatment, especially in the face of a growing arsenal of new cancer therapies.
Advanced imaging biomarkers promise to improve the non-invasive characterization, prognostication, and evaluation of treatment response and post-treatment effects related to brain metastases. The imaging biomarkers may aid in the differentiation of metastases from other entities and serve as valuable adjuncts to conventional imaging in distinguishing disease progression from treatment-related effects. The standardization and validation of advanced imaging biomarkers will need to be addressed to facilitate the adoption of such techniques in clinical trials and clinical practice. A survey of the available techniques will help to define more precisely the role of state-of-the-art imaging approaches in targeted problem-solving, as well as their broader utility in elucidating the underlying cancer biology.
This Research Topic will provide a full coverage of current and emerging advanced imaging methods in the care of patients with brain metastases, including diffusion, perfusion, spectroscopy, and functional MRI, positron emission tomography, radiomics and machine learning approaches, to name a few. We will include a comprehensive set of review articles and ground-breaking research articles on the role of advanced imaging markers in the evaluation, management, and treatment of brain metastases.
Metastasis is the most common cause of brain cancer. Advanced neuroimaging techniques are playing an increasingly important role in the surveillance, diagnosis and management of patients with brain metastases as treatments for systemic cancers continue to improve. Advanced imaging methods enable better delineation of metastatic lesions, while also providing a rich array of information regarding the microstructural, vascular, metabolic, and functional properties of metastases and the affected brain parenchyma. However, barriers remain in the widespread translation and adoption of these techniques. The challenges of imaging patients with brain metastases include the heterogeneity of primary tumors and the tumor microenvironment, as well as the varied appearance of metastases before, during and after treatment, especially in the face of a growing arsenal of new cancer therapies.
Advanced imaging biomarkers promise to improve the non-invasive characterization, prognostication, and evaluation of treatment response and post-treatment effects related to brain metastases. The imaging biomarkers may aid in the differentiation of metastases from other entities and serve as valuable adjuncts to conventional imaging in distinguishing disease progression from treatment-related effects. The standardization and validation of advanced imaging biomarkers will need to be addressed to facilitate the adoption of such techniques in clinical trials and clinical practice. A survey of the available techniques will help to define more precisely the role of state-of-the-art imaging approaches in targeted problem-solving, as well as their broader utility in elucidating the underlying cancer biology.
This Research Topic will provide a full coverage of current and emerging advanced imaging methods in the care of patients with brain metastases, including diffusion, perfusion, spectroscopy, and functional MRI, positron emission tomography, radiomics and machine learning approaches, to name a few. We will include a comprehensive set of review articles and ground-breaking research articles on the role of advanced imaging markers in the evaluation, management, and treatment of brain metastases.
