Brain Radiation Necrosis: Emerging Insights in Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Management
A special issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Diagnosis and Prognosis".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 18
Special Issue Editors
Interests: cancer; radiation therapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: association of systemic therapy and radiation therapy; central nervous system
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Radiation necrosis (RN) of the brain remains one of the most challenging late effects of radiotherapy, particularly in patients treated for primary brain tumors, brain metastases, or head and neck cancers involving the skull base. Despite advances in radiation techniques (e.g., stereotactic radiosurgery, IMRT, proton therapy), the incidence of RN continues to rise in parallel with longer survivorship and the escalating use of re-irradiation or combined systemic therapies (e.g., immunotherapy, targeted therapies).
This Special Issue will gather high-quality original research, clinical studies, reviews, and perspectives to enhance our understanding of mechanisms, imaging features (including radiomics), differential diagnosis, biomarkers, and therapeutic strategies in radiation necrosis of the brain. Case reports or series (preferably including literature reviews summarizing previous cases), authors’ perspectives, and other types of papers will be considered, so long as their contents are relevant to this topic. Our objective is to reconcile the disparities among fundamental scientific research, diagnostic radiology, nuclear medicine, and clinical neuro-oncology, to promote interdisciplinary exchange and guide the development of future treatment protocols.
Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Pathophysiology and molecular mechanisms of radiation necrosis;
- The differentiation of RN from tumor progression: advanced MRI, PET, and AI-based tools;
- The role of perfusion imaging, MR spectroscopy, and radiomics;
- Immunotherapy-associated RN: incidence, biology, and clinical presentation;
- Management approaches: corticosteroids, bevacizumab, surgery, laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT);
- Dosimetric and clinical predictors of RN after SRS and fractionated radiotherapy;
- Proton and carbon ion therapy: unique risks and mitigation strategies;
- Case reports on rare presentations or therapeutic challenges;
- Longitudinal outcomes and quality of life after RN;
- The integration of AI, predictive modeling, and clinical decision support.
Dr. Nam P. Nguyen
Dr. Gokoulakrichenane Loganadane
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- brain radiation necrosis
- radiation therapy
- multimodal imaging
- differential diagnosis
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