Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging reveals tumor-specific molecular changes in adult gliomas after radiotherapy

Key Points

• This research aims to identify molecular changes in gliomas using CEST imaging after radiotherapy.
• Utilized CEST imaging to evaluate gliomas post-radiotherapy.
• Compared CEST contrasts in tumor regions and normal-appearing brain tissue.
• Monitored APTw-signal changes in progressive tumors versus pseudoprogression.
• CEST contrasts remain stable in normal-looking brain tissue after radiotherapy.
• Tumor-specific changes are detectable only through CEST, not conventional MRI.
• The APTw-signal evolves differently in progressive tumors compared to pseudo-progression.