title: Qualitative and Quantitative Imaging Evaluation of Renal Cell Carcinoma Subtypes with Grating-based X-ray Phase-contrast CT.
abstract: Current clinical imaging methods face limitations in the detection and correct characterization of different subtypes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), while these are important for therapy and prognosis. The present study evaluates the potential of grating-based X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography (gbPC-CT) for visualization and characterization of human RCC subtypes. The imaging results for 23 ex vivo formalin-fixed human kidney specimens obtained with phase-contrast CT were compared to the results of the absorption-based CT (gbCT), clinical CT and a 3T MRI and validated using histology. Regions of interest were placed on each specimen for quantitative evaluation. Qualitative and quantitative gbPC-CT imaging could significantly discriminate between normal kidney cortex (54 ± 4 HUp) and clear cell (42 ± 10), papillary (43 ± 6) and chromophobe RCCs (39 ± 7), p < 0.05 respectively. The sensitivity for detection of tumor areas was 100%, 50% and 40% for gbPC-CT, gbCT and clinical CT, respectively. RCC architecture like fibrous strands, pseudocapsules, necrosis or hyalinization was depicted clearly in gbPC-CT and was not equally well visualized in gbCT, clinical CT and MRI. The results show that gbPC-CT enables improved discrimination of normal kidney parenchyma and tumorous tissues as well as different soft-tissue components of RCCs without the use of contrast media.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Hospitals Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Braunagel
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl für Biomedizinische Physik, Physik-Department &Institut für Medizintechnik, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: Lorenz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Birnbacher
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl für Biomedizinische Physik, Physik-Department &Institut für Medizintechnik, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Willner
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl für Biomedizinische Physik, Physik-Department &Institut für Medizintechnik, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marschner
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl für Biomedizinische Physik, Physik-Department &Institut für Medizintechnik, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Marco
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl für Biomedizinische Physik, Physik-Department &Institut für Medizintechnik, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Viermetz
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Hospitals Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Notohamiprodjo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Hospitals Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hellbach
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Hospitals Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Sigrid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Auweter
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Hospitals Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Link
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Hospitals Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Woischke
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Hospitals Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Maximilian F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Reiser
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl für Biomedizinische Physik, Physik-Department &Institut für Medizintechnik, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pfeiffer
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Notohamiprodjo
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl für Biomedizinische Physik, Physik-Department &Institut für Medizintechnik, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Herzen
mesh_terms: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; C498978:MOK protein, human; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases