title: Evaluation of tumor angiogenesis in a mouse PC-3 prostate cancer model using dynamic contrast-enhanced sonography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate tumor angiogenesis in a mouse xenograft model injected with human PC-3 prostate cancer cells using contrast-enhanced sonography.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen nude mice were injected with human prostate cancer cells on the back or the flank. Contrast-enhanced sonography was performed with a 5- to 12-MHz broadband linear transducer after a 500-μL bolus injection of a sonographic contrast agent composed of lipid shells and sulfur hexafluoride. Contrast-enhanced sonograms were obtained by the pulse inversion coded harmonic technique with a low mechanical index of 0.07. A region of interest was drawn to encompass the tumor, and time-intensity curves were acquired. After fitting the curve by a gamma variate function, the maximum intensity, area under the curve for up to 50 seconds, time to peak, shape parameter, and scale parameter were derived. The tumor volume, percentage of vascular endothelial growth factor expression, and CD31-positive vessel count (microvessel density) were correlated with the parameters derived from the time-intensity curve.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The maximum intensity was positively correlated with the microvessel density with statistical significance (r = 0.552; P = .03). The percentage of vascular endothelial growth factor expression did not have any correlation with the parameters from the curve.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Contrast-enhanced sonography can reflect tumor vascularity in a prostate cancer animal model. Sonography of tumor angiogenesis may permit functional assessment of the tumor vasculature and provide an imaging biomarker for tumor responses to antiangiogenic therapies.
authors: Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
authors: Hak Jong
authors: HJ
authors: Lee
authors: Sung Il
authors: SI
authors: Hwang
authors: Jin-Haeng
authors: JH
authors: Chung
authors: Jong June
authors: JJ
authors: Jeon
authors: Jeong Hye
authors: JH
authors: Choi
authors: Hyun Sook
authors: HS
authors: Jung
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019540:Area Under Curve; D003287:Contrast Media; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010743:Phospholipids; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D014463:Ultrasonography; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D010743:Phospholipids; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; C420843:contrast agent BR1; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride