despite aggressive treatment. [1] Currently, maximal resection followed by radiation therapy with concurrent temozolomide (TMZ) and adjuvant TMZ treatment is the standard of care. Post-treatment surveillance involves serial MRI. A challenge faced by clinicians is the diagnosis and management of a gadolinium enhancing lesion on a follow-up MRI post-treatment. This suspicious lesion could be progressive disease (PD) or a mere post-treatment radiation effects such as pseudoprogression or radiation necrosis (RN). Pseudoprogression and RN are distinct clinical entities, which when identified and managed appropriately result in better outcomes, while PD of the tumor is often dismal. Patients with PD have a median survival of 3-6 months, [2] and there is no standard of care. Systemic options include TMZ rechallenge, lomustine, and antiangiogenic therapy such as bevacizumab, but their effectiveness is limited. Reradiation and reresection can be considered depending on the location of the tumor and the condition of the patient. [3] Conversely, antiangiogenic drugs like bevacizumab or cediranib decrease contrast enhancement by altering permeability of tumor vasculature without actual reduction in tumor burden, referred to as pseudoresponse. Distinguishing these clinical entities from PD is crucial to avoid unnecessary reoperations, premature discontinuation of adjuvant TMZ or its substitution with second line agents. MR imaging based monitoring is the current standard of care for post-surgical monitoring. Contrast enhancement on imaging is indicative of disrupted blood brain barrier (BBB), but not tumor presence. [4] Currently, MRI-based Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) criteria is used to monitor treatment response in GBM patients. The criteria included T1 gadolinium enhancing disease, T2/FLAIR changes, new lesions, corticosteroid use, and clinical status. [5] Adoption of RANO criteria for monitoring response is not without limitations. There is ambiguity in identifying radiation effects, enrolling patients into clinical trials and monitoring immunotherapy response. [6] Advanced imaging modalities including diffusion-tensor imaging, perfusion imaging, MR spectroscopy (MRS), and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging Liquid biopsy for the detection and monitoring of central nervous system tumors is of significant clinical interest. At initial diagnosis, the majority of patients with central nervous system tumors undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), followed by invasive brain biopsy to determine the molecular diagnosis of the WHO 2016 classification paradigm. Despite the importance of MRI for long-term treatment monitoring, in the majority of patients who receive chemoradiation therapy for glioblastoma, it can be challenging to distinguish between radiation treatment effects including pseudoprogression, radiation necrosis, and recurrent/progressive disease based on imaging alone. Tissue biopsy-based monitoring is high risk and not always feasible. However, distinguishing these entities is of critical im...
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