Visualisation of tumour regression after local chemotherapy with magnetic nanoparticles - a pilot study.
Magnetic drug targeting (MDT) is a new locoregional chemotherapy method that increases the drug dose in the tumour region, while simultaneously reducing the overall dose through the application of chemotherapeutic-bound superparamagnetic nanoparticles, which are focused by an external magnetic field to the desired body compartment. An important factor in this kind of therapy is the vascularisation of the targeted tumour. In this pilot study, the visualisation of the tumour-vascularisation before and after MDT was investigated.


METHODS
In a rabbit VX-2 tumour model, mitoxantrone bound to Fe(3)O(4)-nanoparticles was applied through the femoral artery close to the tumour. The visualisation of vascularisation and tumour size before and after MDT was performed using a biplane angiographic system (Siemens Axiom Artis dBA) to obtain conventional angiographic series with a standard iodine contrast agent. In addition, cross-sectional images were obtained with the new technique of flat panel detector computed tomography (FD-CT) called DYNA-CT.


RESULTS
The tumours and the supplying vessels were clearly displayed by FD-CT before and after MDT. The tumours of the study group showed considerable size reductions and the angiography showed a drastic reduction of the tumour supporting vessels following MDT.


CONCLUSIONS
MDT leads to significant tumour size reductions within several weeks after a single administration of chemotherapy. In this pilot study, FD-CT offered an excellent possibility to monitor the vascularisation and the size of the tumours before and after MDT.
Lyer
Stefan
S
Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Erlangen, Section for Experimental Oncology and Nanomedicine (Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation Professorship), Glückstrasse 10, Erlangen, Germany.
Tietze
Rainer
R
Jurgons
Roland
R
Struffert
Tobias
T
Engelhorn
Tobias
T
Schreiber
Eveline
E
Dörfler
Arnd
A
Alexiou
Christoph
C
D000792:Angiography / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000473:pathology; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D008280:Magnetics; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D011817:Rabbits; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004337:Drug Carriers; D005290:Ferric Compounds; C000499:ferric oxide