| Literature DB >> 33997782 |
Paul M Brennan1, Holly J Butler2, Loren Christie2, Mark G Hegarty2, Michael D Jenkinson3, Catriona Keerie4, John Norrie4, Rachel O'Brien5, David S Palmer2,6, Benjamin R Smith2, Matthew J Baker2.
Abstract
Early diagnosis of brain tumours is challenging and a major unmet need. Patients with brain tumours most often present with non-specific symptoms more commonly associated with less serious diagnoses, making it difficult to determine which patients to prioritize for brain imaging. Delays in diagnosis affect timely access to treatment, with potential impacts on quality of life and survival. A test to help identify which patients with non-specific symptoms are most likely to have a brain tumour at an earlier stage would dramatically impact on patients by prioritizing demand on diagnostic imaging facilities. This clinical feasibility study of brain tumour early diagnosis was aimed at determining the accuracy of our novel spectroscopic liquid biopsy test for the triage of patients with non-specific symptoms that might be indicative of a brain tumour, for brain imaging. Patients with a suspected brain tumour based on assessment of their symptoms in primary care can be referred for open access CT scanning. Blood samples were prospectively obtained from 385 of such patients, or patients with a new brain tumour diagnosis. Samples were analysed using our spectroscopic liquid biopsy test to predict presence of disease, blinded to the brain imaging findings. The results were compared to the patient's index brain imaging delivered as per standard care. Our test predicted the presence of glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive brain tumour, with 91% sensitivity, and all brain tumours with 81% sensitivity, and 80% specificity. Negative predictive value was 95% and positive predictive value 45%. The reported levels of diagnostic accuracy presented here have the potential to improve current symptom-based referral guidelines, and streamline assessment and diagnosis of symptomatic patients with a suspected brain tumour.Entities:
Keywords: brain; cancer; diagnosis; liquid biopsy; spectroscopy
Year: 2021 PMID: 33997782 PMCID: PMC8111062 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab056
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Brain Commun ISSN: 2632-1297
Figure 1The spectroscopic liquid biopsy platform. (A) Optical sample slides containing four wells, for triplicate sample measurements and a single background measurement; (B) slide indexing unit to integrate slides with a commercially available FTIR spectrometer; and (C) diagnostic algorithm contained within bespoke operating software that auto-generates a disease prediction.
Figure 2Flow of participants through brain-early detection study according to standards for reporting diagnostic accuracy.
Patient breakdown per disease classification in eligible population
| No tumour | 318 |
| Glioblastoma | 34 |
| Metastatic | 16 |
| Meningioma | 5 |
| Anaplastic astrocytoma | 3 |
| Anaplastic oligodendroglioma | 2 |
| Pituitary adenoma | 1 |
| Schwannoma | 1 |
| Subependymoma | 1 |
| Medulloblastoma | 1 |
| Diffuse astrocytoma | 1 |
| Ependymoma | 1 |
| Oligodendroglioma | 1 |
| Total | 385 |
Confusion matrix of the spectroscopic liquid biopsy predictions versus confirmed diagnosis via CT scan
| Imaging | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive | Negative | Total | ||
| Test | Positive | 54 | 65 | 119 |
| Negative | 13 | 253 | 266 | |
| Total | 67 | 318 | 385 | |
Diagnostic performance of the spectroscopic liquid biopsy
| 95% CI | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Reported | Lower | Upper | |
| Sensitivity | 81% | 71% | 90% |
| Specificity | 80% | 75% | 84% |
| Prevalence | 17% | 14% | 21% |
| PPV | 45% | 36% | 54% |
| NPV | 95% | 93% | 98% |
| Accuracy | 80% | 76% | 84% |
NPV, negative predictive value; PPV, positive predictive value.
Figure 3Receiver operating characteristic curve for the spectroscopic liquid biopsy based on the symptomatic patient cohort. The reported test performance is highlighted in red. AUC, area under the curve.
Overview of available metadata from interim analysis patient cohort
| Metadata | Cancer | Non-cancer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headache | Yes | 34 | 102 |
| No | 32 | 209 | |
| NA | 3 | 5 | |
| Headache duration | <1 month | 10 | 49 |
| <6 months | 14 | 31 | |
| +6 months | 8 | 115 | |
| NA | 37 | 121 | |
| Headache worse in morning | Yes | 9 | 61 |
| No | 18 | 146 | |
| NA | 42 | 109 | |
| Headache with nausea | Yes | 9 | 76 |
| No | 17 | 133 | |
| NA | 43 | 107 | |
| Memory change | Yes | 13 | 124 |
| No | 47 | 185 | |
| NA | 9 | 7 | |
| Personality change | Yes | 11 | 80 |
| No | 50 | 230 | |
| NA | 8 | 6 | |
| Verbal fluency | 15+ | 26 | 47 |
| <15 | 16 | 91 | |
| NA | 27 | 178 | |
| Steroids | Yes | 35 | 50 |
| No | 4 | 105 | |
| NA | 30 | 161 | |
| Anti-epileptic drugs | Yes | 20 | 17 |
| No | 49 | 299 | |
| Statins | Yes | 17 | 60 |
| No | 52 | 256 | |
| Anti-hypertensives | Yes | 18 | 93 |
| No | 51 | 223 | |
| Anti-thrombotics | Yes | 8 | 45 |
| No | 61 | 271 | |
| NSAIDs | Yes | 6 | 53 |
| No | 63 | 263 | |
| BMI | S. underweight | 2 | 5 |
| Underweight | 3 | 32 | |
| Normal | 37 | 145 | |
| Overweight | 18 | 91 | |
| Obese | 6 | 19 | |
| S. obese | 0 | 2 | |
| NA | 3 | 22 | |
Where data were unavailable or not recorded, ‘NA’ (not available) was noted.
BMI, body mass index; NSAID, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.