Genetics and imaging of oligodendroglial tumors.

Oligodendroglial tumors are chemosensitive with a favorable prognosis compared with other histological subtypes. The genetic hallmark of co-deletion of 1p and 19q determines both treatment response and prognosis. While this test now forms part of routine histopathology diagnosis in many laboratories, alternative noninvasive imaging biomarkers of tumor genotype remain an attractive proposition. This review will focus on imaging biomarkers of molecular genetics in oligodendroglial tumors.