# Multi-site Validation and Application of a Consensus DSC MRI Protocol

> **NIH NIH R01** · ST. JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $124,268

## Abstract

The overall goal of this early phase, multi-site clinical trial is to validate and demonstrate the clinical utility
of a consensus protocol for dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) MRI. Contrast-enhanced MRI is the clinical
imaging standard for guiding nearly all aspects of brain tumor management. Its inability to reliably monitor
treatment response and differentiate tumor recurrence from posttreatment radiation effect (PTRE) often forces
clinicians to rely upon surgical biopsy for definitive diagnosis, which increases cost, morbidity, and resource
utilization. A definitive imaging-based diagnosis that obviates the need for surgical biopsy would be beneficial.
To overcome these limitations, DSC-MRI evaluation of relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) has been
proposed for response assessment of high-grade gliomas (HGG) and differentiation of tumor recurrence from
PTRE. The translation of clinical DSC-MRI across multiple institutions remains challenging due to site-specific
acquisition and analysis variability. To improve the repeatability, accuracy and multi-site consistency of DSC-
MRI, the National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS) formed an international committee of leading DSC-MRI
investigators to standardize DSC-MRI methodology. As members of this committee, we are well positioned to
validate the clinical utility of the consensus DSC-MRI protocol across multiple institutions and major MRI
vendors. We will leverage our unique expertise in image-recorded stereotactic biopsies to compare clinical
performance of the consensus protocol against histologic and clinical benchmarks. Specifically, we first aim to
validate rCBV accuracy, as measured by the consensus DSC-MRI protocol at multiple sites and MRI scanner
vendors, for differentiating glioblastoma (GBM) recurrence from PTRE. Next, we will determine the
repeatability of the consensus DSC-MRI protocol. Finally, we will determine the utility of rCBV measured with
the consensus DSC-MRI protocol for predicting overall survival (OS) in GBM patients with recurrent or
progressive contrast enhancing lesions. The proposed studies will provide the first multi-site validation of the
consensus DSC-MRI protocol and identify rCBV thresholds for differentiating tumor recurrence and PTRE.
Such a validation will help to promote widespread adoption of the consensus DSC-MRI protocol, thereby
improving the reliability of DSC-MRI for response assessment of HGGs in routine neuro-oncology practice and
prospective clinical trials.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9858168
- **Project number:** 5R01CA221938-03
- **Recipient organization:** ST. JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Jerrold L Boxerman
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $124,268
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-02-01 → 2022-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9858168

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9858168, Multi-site Validation and Application of a Consensus DSC MRI Protocol (5R01CA221938-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9858168. Licensed CC0.

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