Whole Body MRI to Identify Atypical Neurofibromas in Patients With NF1

Overview

This study is being conducted to determine if Whole Body MRI (WBMRI) can be used to identify Atypical Neurofibromas (ANF) in Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) patients with high tumor burden. Each enrolled participant will have two (2) WBMRIs without sedation during the study period. Eligible participants must be Male or Female between the ages of 8-30 with diagnosed NF1; with one or more PN greater than 3cm in diameter and willing to comply with study procedures.

This is a study to determine the feasibility of using Whole Body MRI (WBMRI) to detect Atypical Plexiform Neurofibromas (ANF) among Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) patients who are at highest risk for developing these tumors. In order to do this, the investigators will prospectively obtain WBMRI scans on patients with high plexiform tumor burden (which investigators will define as \>=1 plexiform neurofibroma (PN) that is \>3cm in diameter on MRI) at the same time as their regularly scheduled MRI to allow for radiographic comparison of the identified PNs. In this study, the investigators will plan to establish a method that effectively characterizes PNs in terms of their volume, radiographic appearance on WBMRI and association with clinical characteristics. As an exploratory aim, the investigators plan to collect blood samples from each patient at the same time as the MRI to determine the feasibility of isolating cfDNA (circulating free DNA) from plasma of patients with high plexiform tumor burden.

Conditions