title: Multimodal Imaging of Orthotopic Mouse Model of Endometrial Carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Orthotopic endometrial cancer models provide a unique tool for studies of tumour growth and metastatic spread. Novel preclinical imaging methods also have the potential to quantify functional tumour characteristics in vivo, with potential relevance for monitoring response to therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  After orthotopic injection with luc-expressing endometrial cancer cells, eleven mice developed disease detected by weekly bioluminescence imaging (BLI). In parallel the same mice underwent positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) employing 18F-fluorodeoxyglocose (18F-FDG) or 18F- fluorothymidine (18F-FLT) and contrast reagent, respectively. The mice were sacrificed when moribund, and post-mortem examination included macroscopic and microscopic examination for validation of growth of primary uterine tumours and metastases. PET-CT was also performed on a patient derived model (PDX) generated from a patient with grade 3 endometrioid endometrial cancer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Increased BLI signal during tumour growth was accompanied by increasing metabolic tumour volume (MTV) and increasing MTV x mean standard uptake value of the tumour (SUVmean) in 18F-FDG and 18F-FLT PET-CT, and MRI conspicuously depicted the uterine tumour. At necropsy 82% (9/11) of the mice developed metastases detected by the applied imaging methods. 18F-FDG PET proved to be a good imaging method for detection of patient derived tumour tissue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrate that all imaging modalities enable monitoring of tumour growth and metastatic spread in an orthotopic mouse model of endometrial carcinoma. Both PET tracers, 18F-FDG and 18F-FLT, appear to be equally feasible for detecting tumour development and represent, together with MRI, promising imaging tools for monitoring of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) cancer models.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; Section for Radiology, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Ingfrid S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Haldorsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Mihaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Popa
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fonnes
authors.affiliation: PET-centre, Department of Radiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Njål
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brekke
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Reidun
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kopperud
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Nicole C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Visser
authors.affiliation: Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Cecilie B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Rygh
authors.affiliation: Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pavlin
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Helga B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Salvesen
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Emmet
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: McCormack
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Krakstad
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003287:Contrast Media; D015224:Dideoxynucleosides / Q000737:chemistry; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D016513:Mice, SCID; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D015224:Dideoxynucleosides; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; C002854:alovudine