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Monitoring Tumor Metastases and Osteolytic Lesions with Bioluminescence and Micro CT Imaging
Published on: April 14, 2011
Complementary use of bioluminescence imaging and contrast-enhanced micro-computed tomography in an orthotopic brain
Abstract:
Small animal models are crucial to link molecular discoveries and implementation of clinically relevant therapeutics in oncology. Using these models requires noninvasive imaging techniques to monitor disease progression and therapy response. Micro-computed tomography (CT) is less studied for the in vivo monitoring of murine intracranial tumors and traditionally suffers from poor soft tissue contrast, whereas bioluminescence imaging (BLI) is known for its sensitivity but is not frequently employed for quantifying tumor volume. A widely used orthotopic glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tumor model was applied in nude mice, and tumor growth was evaluated by BLI and contrast-enhanced microCT imaging. A strong correlation was observed between CT volume and BLI-integrated intensity (Pearson coefficient (r) = .85, p = .0002). Repeated contouring of contrast-enhanced microCT-delineated tumor volumes achieved an intraobserver average pairwise overlap ratio of 0.84 and an average tumor volume coefficient of variance of 0.11. MicroCT-delineated tumor size was found to correlate with tumor size obtained via histologic analysis (Pearson coefficient (r) = .88, p = .005). We conclude that BLI intensity can be used to derive tumor volume but that the use of both contrast-enhanced microCT and BLI provides complementary tumor growth information, which is particularly useful for modern small animal irradiation devices that make use of microCT and BLI for treatment planning, targeting, and monitoring.
Insights
Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) and micro-computed tomography (microCT) can quantify intracranial tumor growth in mice. Combining these methods offers complementary data for treatment planning and monitoring in oncology research.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Medical Imaging
- Preclinical Research
Background:
- Small animal models are vital for oncology research, requiring noninvasive imaging for monitoring disease and therapy response.
- Micro-computed tomography (microCT) offers limited soft tissue contrast for murine intracranial tumors.
- Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) is sensitive but not typically used for quantifying tumor volume.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of BLI and contrast-enhanced microCT for monitoring intracranial glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tumor growth in mice.
- To determine the correlation between BLI intensity, microCT-derived tumor volume, and histological tumor size.
- To assess the reliability of microCT for tumor volume quantification.
Main Methods:
- An orthotopic glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) model was established in nude mice.
- Tumor growth was assessed using bioluminescence imaging (BLI) and contrast-enhanced microCT.
- Tumor volumes from microCT were compared with BLI intensity and histological analysis.
Main Results:
- A strong correlation was found between microCT tumor volume and BLI intensity (r = .85, p = .0002).
- MicroCT tumor volume demonstrated high intraobserver reliability (overlap ratio = 0.84) and low variance (CV = 0.11).
- MicroCT-delineated tumor size strongly correlated with histological tumor size (r = .88, p = .005).
Conclusions:
- BLI intensity can be used to estimate tumor volume in preclinical oncology models.
- Contrast-enhanced microCT provides reliable and reproducible tumor volume measurements.
- Combining microCT and BLI offers complementary data for improved tumor monitoring and treatment planning in small animal studies.
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