Imaging the Progression of Intra-tumor Heterogeneity in Prostate and Ovarian Xenografts Using Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced CT.
The purpose of this study is to measure the progressive intra-tumor heterogeneous physiological states for prostate (CWRrv) and ovarian (SKOV3x) xenograft mouse models. Dynamic contrast-enhanced CT was used to measure the change in a tumor's physiological state when transitioning from stage I (<7 mm diameter) to stage II (7-20 mm diameter). Images from stage I tumors are in the initial stages of angiogenesis: neovasculature growth. A radial heterogeneity begins to form with signs of angiogenic activity throughout the tumor. Stage II tumors develop both a saccular heterogeneity and a strong radial heterogeneity between periphery and core consistent with the effects of inflammatory and maturation processes. Imaging intra-tumor heterogeneity has the potential to track tumor stage and to be used as predictive factor in determining mortality rates.
Stantz
Keith
K
Medical Physics division within the Health Sciences at Purdue University, and member of the Imaging Sciences Core of Radiology at the Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA (phone: 317-278-0795; fax: 317-274-8124; e-mail: kstantz@purdue.edu, kstantz@iupui.edu).
Liang
Yun
Y
Li
Xiong
X
Kao
Chingai
C
Steinmetz
Rosemary
R