Imaging vascular function for early stage clinical trials using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Medical Imaging
• Radiology

Background:

• Tumor vasculature is a key target for cancer therapies.
• Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) is vital for evaluating therapeutic effects on tumor vasculature in preclinical and clinical settings.
• Standardization of DCE-MRI acquisition and analysis is essential for consistency in multi-center early-stage clinical trials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current applications of DCE-MRI in cancer research.
• To provide recommendations for optimizing DCE-MRI methodology in early-stage clinical trials.
• To address challenges in standardizing DCE-MRI techniques across different institutions.

Main Methods:

• A workshop convened by the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMC) Imaging Committee.
• Review of current DCE-MRI status and techniques.
• Development of recommendations for best practices in early-stage trials.

Main Results:

• DCE-MRI, particularly with pharmacokinetic modeling, can assess tumor vascular function and novel cancer treatments.
• Recent advancements enhance the accuracy and information derived from DCE-MRI.
• Significant potential for inter-center variation exists due to evolving techniques.

Conclusions:

• Establishing common DCE-MRI methodology and accepted guidelines is critical for multi-center early-stage cancer trials.
• Standardization ensures reliable and reproducible assessment of therapeutic efficacy.
• Continued development of DCE-MRI requires a consensus on best practices to maximize its clinical utility.