International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Dec 2018
Radiation-Induced Cerebral Microbleeds in Pediatric Patients With Brain Tumors Treated With Proton Radiation Therapy.
Proton beam radiation therapy (PBT) has been increasingly used to treat pediatric brain tumors; however, limited information exists regarding radiation-induced cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) among these patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence, risk factors, and imaging appearance of CMBs in pediatric patients with brain tumors treated with PBT. ⋯ CMBs develop in a high percentage of pediatric patients with brain tumors treated with proton radiation therapy within the first few years after treatment. Significant risk factors for development of CMBs include younger age at time of PBT, higher maximum radiation therapy dose, and higher percentage and volume of brain exposed to ≥30 Gy. These findings demonstrate similarities with CMBs that develop in pediatric patients with brain tumor treated with photon radiation therapy.