title: Enhancing magnetic resonance imaging tumor detection with fluorescence intensity and lifetime imaging.
abstract: Early detection is important for many solid cancers but the images provided by ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography applied alone or together, are often not sufficient for decisive early screening ∕ diagnosis. We demonstrate that MRI augmented with fluorescence intensity (FI) substantially improves detection. Early stage murine pancreatic tumors that could not be identified by blinded, skilled observers using MRI alone, were easily identified with MRI along with FI images acquired with photomultiplier tube detection and offset laser scanning. Moreover, we show that fluorescence lifetime (FLT) imaging enables positive identification of the labeling fluorophore and discriminates it from surrounding tissue autofluorescence. Our data suggest combined-modality imaging with MRI, FI, and FLT can be used to screen and diagnose early tumors.
authors.affiliation: University of California, San Diego, CA 92150, USA.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Erten
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hoh
authors.forename: Hop S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Tran Cao
authors.forename: Sharmeela
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaushal
authors.forename: Sadik
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Esener
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bouvet
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Santosh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kesari
authors.forename: Milan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makale
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013382:Subtraction Technique