A Novel Method for Quantifying Total Thoracic Tumor Burden in Mice.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Medical Imaging
• Preclinical Research

Background:

• Mouse models are crucial for studying lung cancer in vivo.
• Current imaging methods for murine lung cancer face challenges with contrast and respiratory gating.
• Accurate quantification of tumor burden is essential for evaluating cancer progression and therapeutic efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid, semi-automated method for calculating thoracic tumor burden from CT images in mouse models.
• To validate the accuracy and reliability of this new method compared to existing techniques.
• To assess the utility of the method in evaluating tumor growth and response to therapy.

Main Methods:

• Developed a novel semi-automated method using commercially available software to calculate the mass of the thoracic cavity (MTC).
• Validated the MTC method by comparing it with lung weight measurements in tumor-free and tumor-bearing mice.
• Assessed metastatic tumor development and response to a PLK1 inhibitor in an orthotopic xenograft mouse model.

Main Results:

• The MTC method demonstrated no significant change in tumor-free mice and was unaffected by breathing.
• In tumor-bearing mice, the increase in MTC correlated well with tumor mass and lung weight.
• The MTC method showed comparable or superior correlation with tumor burden compared to four established methods.
• PLK1 inhibition significantly reduced tumor growth in the tested xenograft model.

Conclusions:

• The MTC method provides a reliable and efficient way to quantify thoracic tumor burden in mouse models.
• This method facilitates the analysis of in vivo imaging studies for lung cancer research.
• The MTC approach is suitable for studying dynamic changes in tumor growth and therapeutic responses in various mouse models of lung cancer.