When treating a brain tumor, MRIAlso: nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMR). Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a non-invasive imaging procedure that utilizes strong magnets and radio waves to visualize tissues. Subtle differences in the ways that the tissues and organs absorb and reflect the waves enable the detection of many different disorders.’s can be tricky to read: sometimes, it is difficult to tell whether the image shows dead brain cells due to the effects of radiationIn cancer biology: A cancer treatment in which high energy beams are used to kill cancer cells. Radiation can also cause genetic damage that can lead to cancer. As an example, skin cancer is believed to be greatly increased by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun., called radiation necrosis, or if a brain tumor has returned. These two situations require very different treatments. However, a program is being developed at Case Western University that will be able to differentiate between the two scenarios more accurately than most physicians.
The program was developed by combining machine learning algorithms and radiomics, or the assessment of features from medical images using computer algorithms. The scientists, engineers, and physicians trained the computer to differentiate between brain cancer and radiation necrosis. The computer is able to pick up on things on the MRI that are difficult to be seen by the human eye.
According to Pallavi Tiwari, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve and leader of the study, “What the algorithms see that the radiologists don't are the subtle differences in quantitative measurements of tumor heterogeneity and breakdown…”
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