1. Radiotherapy in acromegaly: Long-term brain parenchymal and vascular magnetic resonance changes
- Author
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Carla Scaroni, Laura Milanese, Alessandro Della Puppa, Chiara Martini, Filippo Ceccato, Mario Ermani, Francesca Dassie, Renzo Manara, Pietro Maffei, Valentina Citton, Luca Denaro, and Giulia Bommarito
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Adenoma ,Cerebral vascular changes ,medicine.medical_treatment ,030209 endocrinology & metabolism ,Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery ,Radiosurgery ,Magnetic resonance angiography ,White matter changes ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Neuroimaging ,Acromegaly ,medicine ,Humans ,Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and imaging ,Aged ,Aged, 80 and over ,Radiotherapy ,Radiological and Ultrasound Technology ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Brain ,Magnetic resonance imaging ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Radiation therapy ,Treatment Outcome ,MRI ,Growth Hormone ,Cohort ,Female ,Neurology (clinical) ,Radiology ,business ,Biomarkers ,Magnetic Resonance Angiography ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Radiation therapy (RT) effectiveness on hormonal reduction is proven in acromegaly; however, collateral long-term effects are still undetermined. This transversal neuroimaging study on a large cohort of acromegalic patients aimed to investigate the rate of parenchymal and vascular changes after RT.Thirty-six acromegalic patients underwent RT (RT+) after unsuccessful surgery and were compared to RT- acromegalic patients matched for age, gender, adenoma features, clinical and surgical history. All patients underwent magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) to investigate intracranial artery abnormalities and FLAIR sequence to assess white matter changes according to the Wahlund scale.RT+ acromegalic patients had a higher rate of controlled disease (29/36 vs. 12/36, P0.001). RT+ acromegalic patients had MRI/MRA evaluation 15.3±9.6 years after RT. RT+ acromegalic patients had a significantly higher Wahlund score than RT- acromegalic patients (6.03±6.41 vs. 2.53±3.66, P=0.006) due to increased white matter signal abnormalities at the level of the temporal lobes, the basal ganglia (insula) and the infratentorial regions, bilaterally. Among RT+ patients one died because of temporo-polar anaplastic astrocytoma, one suffered from a stroke due to right internal carotid artery occlusion, one presented with cystic degeneration of the temporal poles. Long-dated RT (10 years before MR evaluation) was associated with a higher rate of RT-related white matter changes (P=0.0004).RT seems to have created a cohort of patients with brain parenchymal changes whose clinical and cognitive impact is still unknown. These patients might require a prolonged MRI and MRA follow-up to promptly detect delayed RT-related complications and minimize their clinical consequences.
- Published
- 2018