Geoffrey J. Topping¹, Enio Barçi², Jiying Cheng², Sandra Sühnel¹, Rainer Glass², Roland E. Kälin², and Franz Schilling^1
1Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany, ²Neurosurgical Research, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany

Mice with orthotopically implanted glioblastoma were imaged during contrast injection, with the goals of establishing semi-quantitative DCE in this model and to investigate the impact of apelin-controlled tumour angiogenesis. Wild-type mice with control U87 tumours showed higher initial contrast accumulation but also faster washout compared to apelin knockout mice implanted with apelin knockdown tumour cells, consistent with apelin contributing to tumour vascularization. Control and apelin knockout mice had low contrast accumulation with genetically engineered human glioma-initiating cells.

Ramesh Paudyal¹, Eve LoCastro¹, James Russell¹, Ivan Wolansky¹, Carl C. Lekaye¹, Joseph O. Deasy¹, John L. Humm¹, and Amita Shukla-Dave^1,2
1Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States, ²Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States

Pancreatic cancer accounts for about 3% of all cancer-related deaths in the US. An elevation of interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) is a major barrier to drug delivery in solid tumors. Noninvasive estimation of IFP as a biomarker in typically inaccessible tumors is a significant step toward assessing tumor response to therapy. We applied well-recognized fluid flow in porous media to mouse models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma DCE-MRI data using extended Tofts' model-derived permeability maps with tumor-appropriate tumor geometry. Initial results suggest that after validation, IFP can be imaging biomarkers of early response to therapy.

Inês Veríssimo Cabete¹, Nuria Arias-Ramos¹, Maria Guillén Gómez¹, Margarida Catalão Almiro e Castro², and Pilar López-Larrubia^1
1Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas "Alberto Sols", CSIC-UAM, Madrid, Spain, ²Department of Life Sciences and Coimbra Chemistry Centre, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

The assessment of sexual differences in glioblastoma growth and therapy response has received little attention. We assessed the influence of sex in the MRI features of an orthotropic GBM rat model submitted to anti-inflammatory therapy. Multiparametric MRI studies were acquired at an early and advanced tumor stage of development. GBMs in untreated males presented a more aggressive pattern – worsened as the tumor progressed – than females. While treated males revealed a positive response to meloxicam treatment, females did not. Our results highlighted that sex is a relevant factor to be considered in GBM outcome and anti-inflammatory therapy success.

Ramesh Paudyal¹, James Russell¹, Ivan Wolansky¹, Eve LoCastro¹, Carl C. Lekaye¹, Joseph O. Deasy¹, John L. Humm¹, and Amita Shukla-Dave^1,2
1Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States, ²Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is expected to be the second cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Quantitative multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) provides the complementary physiological properties of tumors tissue. The aim of this study was to characterize microvasculature and microenvironment in mouse models of PDAC using mpMRI. The functional status of mpMRI quantitative imaging metrics were validated with in vivo histology markers of tumor perfusion (Hoechst 33342) and tissue morphology (Hematoxylin and eosin staining).

Nuria Arias-Ramos¹, Ana M. Cardoso², Amália S. Jurado^2,3, M. Margarida C.A. Castro⁴, Maria C. Pedroso de Lima², and Pilar López-Larrubia^1
1Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Alberto Sols (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain, ²CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, CIBB - Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, IIIUC - Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, Coimbra, Portugal, ³Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal, ⁴Centro de Química de Coimbra, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

Preclinical models are needed to study glioblastoma multiforme, the most lethal malignant brain tumor. Human G144-glioblastoma stem cells have been used in in vitro studies but there are few studies in vivo, especially using MRI approaches. We aimed to evaluate in vivo, for the first time to our knowledge, a G144 glioblastoma model by multiparametric-MRI. NOD-SCID mice were orthotopically injected with G144 cells, tumor was characterized by multiparametric-MRI and dynamic contrast enhancement studies. G144 tumors presented heterogeneous imaging pattern compared to other GBM models with higher contrast uptake areas and edema related features.

Weishu Hou¹, Xiaohu Li¹, Hongli Pan¹, Man Xu¹, Sixing Bi¹, Yujun Shen², Yong Zhang³, Yinfeng Qian¹, and Yongqiang Yu^1
1the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China, ²Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China, ³GE Healthcare, Shanghai, China

The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in evaluating early effects of antiangiogenic therapy in a C6 glioma rat model. Twenty-six glioma orthotopic rat models were successfully established 14-16 days after C6 cell inoculation and randomly divided into two groups. The rats in the treated group were administered with Bev while the rats in the control group were administered with vehicle. IVIM-DWI showed significantly decreased D* values and increased ADC and D values corresponding to histological staining in Bev treated tumors.

Karolina Garczyńska^1,2, Akvile Häckel¹, Eyk Schellenberger¹, Anja A. Kühl³, Jürgen Braun⁴, Lynn Jeanette Savic¹, Ingolf Sack¹, and Jing Guo^1
1Department of Radiology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany, ²Department of Veterinary Pathology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany, ³iPATH.Berlin Core Unit of Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany, ⁴Institute of Medical Informatics, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany

The biophysical properties of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and surrounding liver tissue were investigated longitudinally in a syngeneic, orthotopic mouse model using noninvasive quantitative imaging. In vivo MR elastography (MRE) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) were conducted prior to cancer cell implantation and three times during tumor progression. Our preliminary results suggest the involvement of the surrounding liver in terms of changes in viscoelasticity and restricted water diffusion over 6 weeks post implantation, while the HCC appeared to be stiffer and less viscous than the liver at 6 weeks.

Amnah Alamri¹, Lionel Broche¹, and Leslie Samuel^2
1Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, Aberdeen, Scotland, ²Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, Scotland

This pilot study was performed to compare healthy and colorectal cancer samples by investigating R1 NMRD profiles acquired with Fast Field-Cycling (FFC) NMR relaxometry. We collected samples from 18 patients and found a significant difference (P=0.001) in the relaxation rates between normal and colorectal cancer tumours below 100 kHz (2.3uT), while this difference became smaller with increasing the magnetic field strengths and disappeared above 1 MHz (23 uT). This dispersion profile may lead to great potential for diagnosis, staging and monitoring treatment response.

Klijs J. de Koning¹, Rob Noorlag¹, Annette van der Toorn², Gerben E. Breimer³, Jan Willem Dankbaar⁴, Remco de Bree¹, and Marielle E.P. Philippens^5
1Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands, ²Biomedical MR Imaging & Spectroscopy Group, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands, ³Pathology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands, ⁴Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands, ⁵Radiotherapy, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands

We validated the measured resection margins of the surgical specimens of tongue carcinoma on 7T ex vivo MRI with histopathology using T2 weighted MRI. In 3D T2wTSE (250 μm³) with an acquisition time of 15-20 minutes, the resection margins was undestimated by 0.5 mm (+/- 1.3 mm). This will be developed into a clinical study with immediate re-resection during surgery to prevent adjuvant (chemo)radiotherapy, which is associated with radiation induced side effects.