Exploring the Role of Neuroradiologists in NeuroOncology Tumor Boards: A Review

The role of Neuroradiology in diagnosing and managing nervous system malignancies places it as an essential component of Neuro-oncology multidisciplinary tumor boards. Lesions are identified and characterized using advanced imaging, and choices of therapy are guided. They provide crucial insights to surgeons in planning resections and biopsies in vitally sensitive brain regions. In addition, they aid post treatment follow-up and radiotherapy. They collaborate with neurosurgeons, neuropathologists, radiation and medical oncologists in these meetings to review cancer cases, integrate imaging with histopathology, formulate treatment plans for best patient interest. The paper aims to study the role of Neuroradiologists in nMTB. Neuroradiologists face many challenges and limitations during interdisciplinary collaborations owing to the complexities of emerging neuroradiological imaging modalities. Other than that there are problems such as communication barriers mainly due to the use of technical words, lack of patient communication, and lack of interpersonal communication between neuroradiologists and referring clinicians that can have a negative impact on the understanding or potentially the clinical outcomes of MTBs. The new and emerging diagnostic modalities can be useful to neuroradiologists in accurate diagnosis, grading, management, and prognosis prediction in multidisciplinary. Advanced AI models such as Radionomics, radiogenomics, and deep learning models can detect complex imaging features, and distinguish between brain GBM and brain metastasis which can help predict patient survival. However, their potential rests in the new knowledge about this condition as these clinical data are limited due to lack of generalizability and reproducibility. Interpreting neuroradiological results are precise; accurate diagnosis requires specialized training in neuroradiology. Structured training program also ensures that neuroradiologist adheres to standardized practices and prevents any clash of difference among neuroradiologists.