Quantified power Doppler US of tumor blood flow correlates with microscopic quantification of tumor blood vessels.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the ability of a quantified power Doppler ultrasonography (US) system to help quantitate differences in tumor vascularity after radiation therapy and administration of tumor necrosis factor (TNF).


METHODS
Murine glioblastoma tumors were grown in the thighs of two sets of 25 mice each. Each mouse was assigned to one of four treatment groups: control (no treatment), radiation therapy, TNF therapy, or combination therapy (both radiation and TNF therapies). Mice were then evaluated with quantified power Doppler US, and a vascularity index (color area) was calculated for different tumor regions in each group. The tumors were then excised, and histologic evaluation was performed by using an immunofluorescence-tagged monoclonal antibody against blood vessel endothelium. The number of stained blood vessels per high-power field was correlated with the sonographically determined vascularity index.


RESULTS
The color area of the total tumor decreased to 37% of that in the control group in mice treated with radiation therapy alone (P: =.02), 26% of that in the control group in mice treated with TNF alone (P: =.05), and 8% of that in the control group in those treated with both TNF and radiation (P: =.006). These results correlated well with the quantified results from immunofluorescent staining (r = 0.98).


CONCLUSIONS
Quantified power Doppler US is a noninvasive method for the evaluation of tumor vascularity and blood flow.
Department of Radiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1301 22nd Ave S, B-902 The Vanderbilt Clinic, Nashville, TN 37232-5671, USA.
E F
EF
Donnelly
L
L
Geng
W E
WE
Wojcicki
A C
AC
Fleischer
D E
DE
Hallahan
D000818:Animals; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008833:Microcirculation; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color
D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha