Quantitative imaging of tumour blood flow by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

Tumour blood flow plays a key role in tumour growth, formation of metastasis, and detection and treatment of malignant tumours. Recent investigations provided increasing evidence that quantitative analysis of tumour blood flow is an indispensable prerequisite for developing novel treatment strategies and individualizing cancer therapy. Currently, however, methods for noninvasive, quantitative and high spatial resolution imaging of tumour blood flow are rare. We apply here a novel approach combining a recently established ultrafast MRI technique, that is T(1)-relaxation time mapping, with a tracer kinetic model. For validation of this approach, we compared the results obtained in vivo with data provided by iodoantipyrine autoradiography as a reference technique for the measurement of tumour blood flow at a high resolution in an experimental tumour model. The MRI protocol allowed quantitative mapping of tumour blood flow at spatial resolution of 250 x 250 microm(2). Correlation of data from the MRI method with the iodantipyrine autoradiography revealed Spearman's correlation coefficients of Rs = 0.851 (r = 0.775, P < 0.0001) and Rs = 0.821 (r = 0.72, P = 0.014) for local and global tumour blood flow, respectively. The presented approach enables noninvasive, repeated and quantitative assessment of microvascular perfusion at high spatial resolution encompassing the entire tumour. Knowledge about the specific vascular microenvironment of tumours will form the basis for selective antivascular cancer treatment in the future.