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Published on: December 15, 2014
Pancreatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia Revealed by Diffusion-Tensor MRI
Carlos Bilreiro1, Francisca F Fernandes, Rui V Simões
1From the Radiology Department, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal (C.B., C.M.); Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal (C.B., F.F.F., R.H., C.C., A.I., M.C.-M., T.C., C.M., N.S.); Nova Medical School, Lisbon, Portugal (C.B.); i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal (R.V.S.); and Pathology Department, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal (M.C.-M.).
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and T2* magnetic resonance imaging can detect pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) in mice and humans. These advanced imaging techniques show promise for early pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Oncology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) are premalignant lesions critical for early pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma detection.
- Understanding PanIN biology is essential for improving diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and T2* magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detecting and characterizing PanIN.
- To correlate imaging findings with histological features in a preclinical model and human specimens.
Main Methods:
- In vivo and ex vivo DTI and T2* MRI were performed on genetically engineered mouse models (KC, KPC) and human pancreas specimens.
- Histological analysis was used for validation, assessing lesion span and severity.
- MR contrast sources were investigated in relation to microarchitectural features.
Main Results:
- DTI demonstrated high accuracy in detecting PanIN in vivo, with fractional anisotropy (FA) and axial diffusivity (AD) showing strong discriminative ability.
- Ex vivo MR microscopy correlated imaging contrasts with histological features, such as fibrosis and cysts.
- AD showed the strongest correlation with PanIN lesion span and severity (R = 0.708, P < 0.001; R = 0.789, P < 0.001).
- Findings in mice were successfully translated to human pancreas specimens, showing clear contrast between PanIN and normal tissue.
Conclusions:
- DTI and T2* MRI are effective for detecting and characterizing PanIN in both mouse models and human pancreases.
- AD and FA are key parameters for differentiating PanIN.
- These findings support the future clinical application of advanced pancreatic MRI for early cancer detection.
