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Updated: Feb 7, 2026
A Syngeneic Mouse Model of Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma for Quantitative and Longitudinal Assessment of Preclinical Therapies
Published on: April 12, 2017
Ultrasound Measurement of Vascular Density to Evaluate Response to Anti-Angiogenic Therapy in Renal Cell Carcinoma
Background:
Functional and molecular changes often precede gross anatomical changes, so early assessment of a tumor's functional and molecular response to therapy can help reduce a patient's exposure to the side effects of ineffective chemotherapeutics or other treatment strategies.
Objective:
Our intent was to test the hypothesis that an ultrasound microvascular imaging approach might provide indications of response to therapy prior to assessment of tumor size.
Methods:
Mice bearing clear-cell renal cell carcinoma xenograft tumors were treated with antiangiogenic and Notch inhibition therapies. An ultrasound measurement of microvascular density was used to serially track the tumor response to therapy.
Results:
Data indicated that ultrasound-derived microvascular density can indicate response to therapy a week prior to changes in tumor volume and is strongly correlated with physiological characteristics of the tumors as measured by histology ([Formula: see text]). Furthermore, data demonstrated that ultrasound measurements of vascular density can determine response to therapy and classify between-treatment groups with high sensitivity and specificity.
Conclusion/Significance:
Results suggests that future applications utilizing ultrasound imaging to monitor tumor response to therapy may be able to provide earlier insight into tumor behavior from metrics of microvascular density rather than anatomical tumor size measurements.
Insights
Ultrasound microvascular imaging detects tumor response to therapy earlier than tumor size measurements. This approach offers a faster way to assess treatment effectiveness and guide patient care.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Medical Imaging
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Early detection of tumor response to therapy is crucial for effective treatment and minimizing patient exposure to side effects.
- Functional and molecular changes in tumors often precede observable anatomical alterations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the potential of ultrasound microvascular imaging for early detection of tumor response to therapy.
- To test if microvascular changes can predict treatment efficacy before changes in tumor size are apparent.
Main Methods:
- Utilized ultrasound microvascular imaging to track tumor response in mice with clear-cell renal cell carcinoma xenografts.
- Administered antiangiogenic and Notch inhibition therapies to the tumor-bearing mice.
- Serially measured microvascular density using ultrasound and correlated findings with histological data.
Main Results:
- Ultrasound-derived microvascular density indicated therapy response one week before changes in tumor volume.
- Microvascular density measurements strongly correlated with tumor physiological characteristics observed in histology.
- Ultrasound effectively determined therapy response and differentiated between treatment groups with high sensitivity and specificity.
Conclusions:
- Ultrasound imaging of microvascular density provides earlier insights into tumor response compared to anatomical size measurements.
- This method holds promise for optimizing cancer treatment strategies by enabling timely assessment of therapeutic efficacy.
- Future applications may leverage ultrasound metrics for more precise monitoring of tumor behavior during treatment.
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