Individualizing glioma radiotherapy planning by optimization of a data and physics-informed discrete loss

Michal Balcerak (), Jonas Weidner, Petr Karnakov, Ivan Ezhov, Sergey Litvinov, Petros Koumoutsakos, Tamaz Amiranashvili, Ray Zirui Zhang, John S. Lowengrub, Igor Yakushev, Benedikt Wiestler and Bjoern Menze
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Michal Balcerak: University of Zurich
Jonas Weidner: Technical University of Munich
Petr Karnakov: Harvard University
Ivan Ezhov: Technical University of Munich
Sergey Litvinov: Harvard University
Petros Koumoutsakos: Harvard University
Tamaz Amiranashvili: University of Zurich
Ray Zirui Zhang: University of California
John S. Lowengrub: University of California
Igor Yakushev: Technical University of Munich
Benedikt Wiestler: Munich Center for Machine Learning (MCML)
Bjoern Menze: University of Zurich

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Abstract Brain tumor growth is unique to each glioma patient and extends beyond what is visible in imaging scans, infiltrating surrounding brain tissue. Understanding these hidden patient-specific progressions is essential for effective therapies. Current treatment plans for brain tumors, such as radiotherapy, typically involve delineating a uniform margin around the visible tumor on pre-treatment scans to target this invisible tumor growth. This “one size fits all" approach is derived from population studies and often fails to account for the nuances of individual patient conditions. We present the Glioma Optimizing the Discrete Loss (GliODIL) framework, which infers the full spatial distribution of tumor cell concentration from available multi-modal imaging, leveraging a Fisher-Kolmogorov type physics model to describe tumor growth. This is achieved through the newly introduced method of Optimizing the Discrete Loss (ODIL), where both data and physics-based constraints are softly assimilated into the solution. Our test dataset comprises 152 glioblastoma patients with pre-treatment imaging and post-treatment follow-ups for tumor recurrence monitoring. By blending data-driven techniques with physics-based constraints, GliODIL enhances recurrence prediction in radiotherapy planning, challenging traditional uniform margins and strict adherence to the Fisher-Kolmogorov partial differential equation model, which is adapted for complex cases.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60366-4

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