Radiographic growth rate as a predictor of aggressiveness of diffuse gliomas without 1p19q codeletion.

OBJECTIVE: The 2021 WHO classification of CNS tumors has refined the definition of adult-type diffuse gliomas without 1p19q codeletion. Nevertheless, the aggressiveness of gliomas is based exclusively on histomolecular criteria performed on a limited sample of the tumor. The authors aimed to assess whether the spontaneous radiographic tumor growth rate is associated with tumor aggressiveness and allows preoperative identification of malignancy grade of adult-type diffuse gliomas without 1p19q codeletion.

METHODS: The authors retrospectively reviewed the records of adult patients harboring a newly diagnosed supratentorial diffuse glioma without 1p19q codeletion, with available preoperative MRI follow-up between January 2008 and April 2022. The spontaneous radiographic tumor growth rate was quantified by tumor volume segmentation and regression of the evolution of the mean tumor diameter over time and was compared with clinical, imaging, histomolecular, and survival data.

RESULTS: Ninety-six patients were included. The spontaneous radiographic tumor growth rates (mean 17.8 ± 38.8 mm/year, range 0-243.5 mm/year) significantly varied according to IDH1/2 mutation (p < 0.001), grade of malignancy (p < 0.001), and presence of microvascular proliferation (p < 0.001). The spontaneous radiographic tumor growth rate allowed preoperative identification of high-grade cases: 100% of grade 3 and 4 IDH-mutant diffuse astrocytomas had a spontaneous radiographic tumor growth rate ≥ 8.0 mm/year, and 100% of IDH-wild-type glioblastomas had a spontaneous radiographic tumor growth rate ≥ 42.0 mm/year. A spontaneous radiographic growth rate ≥ 8.0 mm/year was an independent predictor of shorter progression-free (p = 0.014) and overall (p = 0.007) survival. A mitotic count threshold ≥ 4 mitoses was the optimal threshold for identifying aggressive IDH-mutant astrocytomas based on spontaneous radiographic tumor growth.

CONCLUSIONS: The spontaneous radiographic tumor growth rates could be used as an additional tool to preoperatively screen tumor aggressiveness of adult-type diffuse gliomas without 1p19q codeletion.