Abstract
Purpose: This study aimed to explore the topological features of brain functional network in lung cancer patients before and after chemotherapy using graph theory.Methods: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained from 44 post-chemotherapy and 46 non-chemotherapy patients as well as 49 healthy controls (HCs). All groups were age- and gender-matched. Then, the topological features of brain functional network were assessed using graph theory analysis.Results: At the global level, compared with the HCs, both the non-chemotherapy group and the post-chemotherapy group showed significantly increased values in sigma (p < 0.05), gamma (p < 0.05), and local efficiency, Eloc (p < 0.05). The post-chemotherapy group and the non-chemotherapy group did not differ significantly in the above-mentioned parameters. At the nodal level, when non-chemotherapy or post-chemotherapy patients were compared with the HCs, abnormal nodal centralities were mainly observed in widespread brain regions. However, when the post-chemotherapy group was compared with the non-chemotherapy group, significantly decreased nodal centralities were observed primarily in the prefrontal–subcortical regions.Conclusions: These results indicate that lung cancer and chemotherapy can disrupt the topological features of functional networks, and chemotherapy may cause a pattern of prefrontal–subcortical brain network abnormality. As far as we know, this is the first study to report that altered functional brain networks are related to lung cancer and chemotherapy.
Highlights
Lung cancer has become a malignant tumor of increasing morbidity, which is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide [1,2,3], and brings great social and economic burden to the country [4]
Altered Brain Topology After Chemotherapy alterations as one of research focuses on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging accompanied by chemotherapy treatment
You et al reported that the dynamic brain activity of patients with chemotherapy significantly decreased in the default-mode network (DMN) region [7], and Hu et al found that the dynamic functional connectivity variability in patients with chemotherapy was significantly reduced in several brain regions [8]
Summary
Lung cancer has become a malignant tumor of increasing morbidity, which is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide [1,2,3], and brings great social and economic burden to the country [4]. Chemotherapy is a kind of basic treatment strategy that can prolong the survival of a patient, but there is very little knowledge about functional network. Altered Brain Topology After Chemotherapy alterations as one of research focuses on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) accompanied by chemotherapy treatment. Several studies about brain function changes in lung cancer patients have demonstrated the feasibility of fMRI [5, 6]. You et al reported that the dynamic brain activity of patients with chemotherapy significantly decreased in the default-mode network (DMN) region [7], and Hu et al found that the dynamic functional connectivity variability in patients with chemotherapy was significantly reduced in several brain regions [8]. Simo et al reported the DMN functional connectivity decreases in patients with lung cancer [9]
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