Evaluation of Tumor Development Using Hemoglobin Saturation Profile on Rodent Dorsal Window Chamber

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Preclinical Research
• Biomedical Imaging

Background:

• Tumor microenvironment (TME) features like hemoglobin saturation (HbSat) offer indirect tumor evaluation.
• Elevated HbSat and TME activity can precede angiogenic tumor formation, suggesting HbSat's potential as a tumor progression biomarker.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a methodology for evaluating HbSat profiles over time.
• To correlate HbSat profiles with in vivo tumor development using a dorsal skin-fold window chamber model.
• To predict new tumor area development based on HbSat changes.

Main Methods:

• Surgical preparation of mice and dorsal window chamber implantation/maintenance.
• Image processing to obtain pixel-level HbSat values from raw data.
• Computational methods to determine HbSat profiles and classify areas as tumor or non-tumor.

Main Results:

• Detailed step-by-step imaging processing for HbSat quantification.
• Method for calculating HbSat profiles to monitor TME changes.
• Classification framework for identifying tumor progression based on HbSat data.

Conclusions:

• The dorsal skin-fold window chamber model provides a robust method for assessing HbSat.
• HbSat profiling is a valuable tool for predicting tumor development and progression in preclinical settings.