Abstract

Significance The prognosis and management of patients with glioma is vastly different depending on whether one detects tumor progression or treatment effects. Although the gold standard in the evaluation of treatment efficacy involves MRI, the currently available imaging methods often do not suffice to make the final decision. Our study demonstrated that amide proton transfer (APT) imaging, one subset of chemical exchange saturation transfer imaging, can detect molecular signals in glioma induced by short-term chemotherapy with temozolomide. These molecular events precede morphologic changes. The APT signal did not decrease in tumors resistant to chemotherapy. APT imaging may provide a useful prognostic biomarker of treatment response or tumor progression in glioma.