Jia Heyuan, Wang Kaikai, Zhang Peng, Zhang Mingxin, Mai Yiying, Chu Congying, Yin Xuntao, Fan Lingzhong, Zhang Liwei
School of Instrumentation and Optoelectronic Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China.
Institute of Large-scale Scientific Facility and Centre for Zero Magnetic Field Science, Beihang University, Beijing, China.
Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 16;15(1):13132. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-95017-7.
Brainstem tumors exert profound effects on cortical organization and functionality across the whole brain. However, the precise implications of changes in cortical thickness (CTh) for patient stratification and prognostic assessment remain unclear. Our study seeks to address these gaps and provide clearer insights into the distant impact of brainstem tumors. This study involved 124 pediatric patients with brainstem tumors and 849 healthy controls. Using CAT12 segmentation on 3D T1-weighted MRI scans and Gaussian process regression modeling, we established a normative CTh model from healthy data. CTh deviations of patients were quantified and clustered, revealing two distinct subtypes: Subtype 1 with extremely positive deviations and Subtype 2 with extremely negative deviations, correlating with better survival. Kaplan-Meier analysis confirmed significant survival differences between these subtypes. Additionally, a greater number of brain regions with positive CTh deviations was found to correlate with larger tumor volumes. These findings suggest that CTh deviation is a non-invasive imaging marker, facilitating patient subtyping and survival prediction. These insights equip clinicians to tailor treatment plans and establishes a valuable precision medical tool for clinical evaluation and monitoring.
脑干肿瘤对全脑的皮质组织和功能产生深远影响。然而，皮质厚度（CTh）变化对患者分层和预后评估的具体影响仍不明确。我们的研究旨在填补这些空白，并更清晰地洞察脑干肿瘤的远距离影响。本研究纳入了124例患有脑干肿瘤的儿科患者和849名健康对照。通过对3D T1加权MRI扫描进行CAT12分割和高斯过程回归建模，我们从健康数据中建立了一个正常CTh模型。对患者的CTh偏差进行量化和聚类，发现了两种不同的亚型：亚型1具有极高的正偏差，亚型2具有极低的负偏差，且与更好的生存率相关。Kaplan-Meier分析证实了这些亚型之间存在显著的生存差异。此外，发现更多具有正CTh偏差的脑区与更大的肿瘤体积相关。这些发现表明，CTh偏差是一种非侵入性成像标志物，有助于患者分型和生存预测。这些见解使临床医生能够制定个性化的治疗方案，并为临床评估和监测建立了一种有价值的精准医疗工具。
