Gliomas are highly invasive primary brain tumors, notorious for their recurrence after treatment, and are considered uniformly fatal. Confounding progress is the fact that there is a diffuse extent of tumor cell invasion well beyond what is visible on routine clinical imaging such as MRI. By incorporating diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) which shows the directional orientation of fiber tracts in the brain, we compare patient-specific model simulations to observed tumor growth for two patients, visually, volumetrically and spatially to quantify the effect of anisotropic diffusion on the ability to predict the actual shape and diffuse invasion of tumor as observed on MRI. The ultimate goal is the development of the best patient-specific tool for predicting brain tumor growth and invasion in individual patients, which can aid in treatment planning.
