:: Volume 15, Issue 4 (10-2017) ::
Int J Radiat Res 2017, 15(4): 363-369 Back to browse issues page
The use of 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy in studying radiation-induced injury of the brain in elderly and young patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma
W. Chen , J. Li , L. Hong , Z. Xing , F. Wang , C. Li
Department of Radiology, Hainan General Hospital, Haikou 570311, China , wsdoccn@163.com
Abstract:   (4834 Views)
Background: This study aims to investigate the metabolic characteristics of radiotherapy-induced temporal lobe injury in elderly patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma using 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Materials and Methods: Data were collected from 21 elderly patients and 33 young patients before and during therapy with different radiation dosages (20, 40, and 60 Gy). The Student’s t-test was used to compare the 1H-MRS-based N-acetyl aspartate /Creatine (NAA/Cr), Choline/Creatine (Cho/Cr), and NAA/Cho ratios in the temporal lobes. Results: Statistically significant differences in the NAA/Cr and NAA/Cho ratios was found between the two groups (P < 0.05) at 20, 40, and 60 Gy. The Cho/Cr ratios (20/40/60 Gy) were 1.82 ± 0.16/1.61 ± 0.29/1.37 ± 0.13 and 1.77 ± 0.19/1.48 ± 0.17/1.06 ± 0.14 in the elderly and young patients, respectively. We found significant differences between the two groups at the dosages of 40 and 60 Gy (P<0.05). The decrease in the NAA/Cr and NAA/Cho ratios in the elderly group was significantly higher than that in the young patients with dosages of 20, 40, and 60 Gy. The decrease in the Cho/Cr ratio in the elderly group (2.15%/11.29%/12.90%) was significantly lower than that in the young patients (3.30%/15.93%/17.58%). Conclusion: Under the same radiotherapy pattern and radiation dosage, the injury to the neurons in the temporal lobes was significantly greater in elderly patients than that in young patients. The intervention conducted in elderly patients at a dosage of 20 Gy might help minimize the injury to the neurons.
 
Keywords: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, radiotherapy, radiation injuries, magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Full-Text [PDF 1040 kb]   (1211 Downloads)    
Type of Study: Original Research | Subject: Radiation Biology



XML     Print



Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Volume 15, Issue 4 (10-2017) Back to browse issues page