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Updated: May 21, 2026
Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging of an Orthotopic Pancreatic Cancer Mouse Model
Published on: April 18, 2015
Pharmacokinetic analysis based on dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI for evaluating tumor response to preoperative therapy
Toru Chikui1, Erina Kitamoto, Shintaro Kawano
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Faculty of Dental Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan. chikui@rad.dent.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Purpose:
To evaluate whether a pharmacokinetic analysis is useful for monitoring the response of oral cancer to chemoradiotherapy (CRT).
Materials And Methods:
Twenty-nine patients were included. They underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) before and after CRT. The DCE-MRI data were analyzed using a Tofts and Kermode (TK) model. The histological evaluation of the effects of CRT was performed according to Ohboshi and Shimosato's classification.
Results:
None of the pre-CRT parameters were significantly different between the responders and nonresponders. The post-CRT volume of the extravascular extracellular space (EES) per unit volume of tissue (v(e) ) of responders (0.397 ± 0.080) was higher than that of nonresponders (0.281 ± 0.076) (P = 0.01). The change of the v(e) between the pre- and post-CRT of the responders (0.154 ± 0.093) was larger than that of the nonresponders (0.033 ± 0.073) (P = 0.001). Therefore, the increase in the v(e) strongly suggested a good tumor response to CRT, which reflected an increase of the EES secondary to the destruction of the cancer nest. The changes in the volume transfer constant (K(trans) ) were significantly different between the responders and nonresponders (P = 0.018).
Conclusion:
Both the increase of the v(e) and the elevation of permeability (K(trans) ) were indicative of a good tumor response to CRT. The pharmacokinetic analysis had potential for monitoring the histopathological response to CRT.
