Altered Brain Functional Network Topology in Lung Cancer Patients After Chemotherapy

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, E(loc) (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.