Who can participate
- Children with low-grade glioma (LGG) or diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG)
- Age: 5-18 years
Goal
The goal of this study is to find out if we can use an MRI scan to image the behavior (in other words, metabolism) of a brain tumor.
Background
In the Netherlands, about 120 children are diagnosed with brain tumors each year. Sometimes treatment is not immediately necessary and it is possible to wait and see. If treatment is needed, there are several options: surgery, radiation or chemotherapy, or a combination of these. A child with a brain tumor is checked regularly. During a checkup, an MRI scan is also often made. This MRI scan is used to see if there are signs that the brain tumor is growing again or to detect side effects of the treatment. These MRI scans are done with an MRI scanner with a strength of 3 Tesla. However, if we use a stronger MRI scanner (7 Tesla) we can make scans that may allow us to learn more about the behavior of the tumor.
In this study, we use this 7 Tesla MRI scanner. Information from these scans can help us better understand, for example, why some tumors grow faster than others, or why some tumors respond better to treatment than others. With this study, we want to find out if this is possible.
This 7 Tesla MRI scan is extra. The regular 3 Tesla MRI scans will be performed as usual. The additional 7 Tesla MRI scans will be scheduled in approximately the same time period as the regular MRI scans: once right after diagnosis and then twice during regular MRI checkups. In total, a child will undergo three additional scans over a 12-month period for this study.
This study was set up by UMC Utrecht and is being conducted by doctors and researchers at UMC Utrecht and the Prinses Máxima Center.