Grant: Project Grant

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary brain cancer. The treatment for GBM involves involves surgery, chemotherapy, and 6 weeks of radiation therapy. A major obstacle is that once radiation therapy begins, patients will receive the same radiation dose each day, even if the tumour changes. This may mean that the tumour may not be fully treated, or too much normal brain tissue is irradiated, leading to side effects. Clinicians currently do not adjust the radiation dose, because tumour sizes do not typically change until months after the treatment is complete. If there was a more sensitive tool that could be used earlier to determine how well the treatment is working, then we might be able to improve treatment outcomes and quality of life for GBM patients by adjusting the radiation dose for each individual, during the course of their treatment. We are developing advanced MRI scans in our lab. These scans have potential in determining how well the radiation treatment is working, before any change in tumour size happens. The scans are non-invasive and can be used repeatedly during treatment. The scans can be used to predict, early in the treatment process, which tumours will shrink after being treated. Our study will combine these advanced MRI scans with a new state-of-the-art MR-Linac treatment device that takes images while the patient is receiving their daily radiation dose. In our study, we will evaluate the MRI scans in GBM patients receiving radiation treatment to predict which part of the tumour will require more, the same, or less radiation dose. If the study is successful, the radiation dose will be delivered to the tumour more accurately, with less radiation given to surrounding healthy tissues. Increasing the dose to specific parts of the tumour may reduce the chances of a recurrence and improve outcomes. These methods are not limited to the brain, and can eventually be applied to other cancer types.