Researchers presented a new artificial intelligence-guided technique on July 20 at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery's 23rd Annual Meeting that may improve the accuracy of delivering experimental therapies directly to malignant brain tumors.
The approach uses AI to identify all blood vessels feeding a tumor, allowing physicians to deliver therapy to more of the tumor while reducing off-target delivery. Intra-arterial therapy is a minimally invasive procedure in which a catheter delivers medication directly through an artery, enabling highly targeted dosing and minimizing side effects on the rest of the body. Traditionally, these therapies have been delivered through a single artery, but many tumors receive blood from multiple vessels, and a single-artery approach may result in incomplete tumor coverage.
In their study titled "From Single-Pedicle to Whole Tumor Coverage: AI-guided Multi-territory Super-selective Endovascular Infusion for Brain Tumors," researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center developed an AI-assisted technique that identifies tumor-feeding arterial pedicles before treatment. After confirming the AI findings with advanced imaging, physicians delivered specific amounts of therapy tailored to each artery based on its contribution to blood supply.
Three patients with malignant brain tumors underwent treatment using this method. The AI-assisted mapping identified multiple tumor-feeding arteries in every patient and allowed physicians to treat all relevant pedicles. This multi-pedicle approach covered more than 85% of each tumor in all cases compared to less than 65% coverage with traditional single-pedicle infusion. By creating patient-specific maps of each tumor's blood supply, physicians delivered therapy more precisely and reduced unintended delivery outside target areas. Researchers also found that the procedure could be safely repeated two weeks later.
"One of the biggest challenges in treating malignant brain tumors is that every patient's anatomy is different," said Christopher Young, MD, PhD, the study's primary author. "AI gives us another tool to personalize treatment based on each patient's unique blood supply, with the goal of delivering therapy more precisely." While more research is needed, this approach has the potential to improve patient care and marks an exciting advancement in neurointerventional oncology. Additional studies will be needed to determine whether improved tumor coverage leads to better outcomes for patients.
