Measurements of tumor vascular leakiness using DCE in brain tumors: clinical applications

Various imaging techniques have been employed to evaluate blood-brain-barrier leakiness in brain tumors, as higher tumor vascular leakiness is known to be associated with higher grade and malignant potential of the tumor, and hence can help provide additional diagnostic and prognostic information. These imaging techniques range from routine post-contrast T-1-weighted images that highlight degree of contrast enhancement to absolute measurement of quantitative metrics of vascular leakiness employing complex pharmacokinetic modeling. The purpose of this article is to discuss the clinical applications of available imaging techniques, and in particular dynamic contrast-enhanced T-1-weighted MR imaging (DCE-MRI), to evaluate tumor vascular leakiness. Copyright (C) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.