MRI-Based Radiomics Reveals Cannabinoid-Associated Tumor Phenotypes in a Murine Breast Cancer Model.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Medical Imaging
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Assessing antitumor activity in preclinical models is challenging with conventional imaging, especially for complex agents like cannabinoids.
• Cannabinoid formulations can have subtle biological effects not reflected in early volumetric tumor changes.
• Radiomics offers a method to extract quantitative imaging features, capturing intratumoral heterogeneity beyond tumor volume.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of MRI-based radiomics for detecting cannabinoid-associated tumor phenotypic modulation.
• To assess the sensitivity of radiomics in characterizing cannabinoid effects in a preclinical breast cancer model.

Main Methods:

• Orthotopic breast tumors were induced in mice using the 4T1 cell line.
• Mice received cannabinoid formulations with chemotherapy; tumor burden was assessed using ultrasonography and MRI.
• T1- and T2-weighted MRI datasets were analyzed using radiomics to extract morphometric and signal-based features.

Main Results:

• Conventional imaging showed no significant differences in tumor doubling time for most cannabinoid groups.
• Radiomics identified distinct, compound-specific tumor phenotypes, including reduced aggressiveness with JWH-182.
• Cannabixir® THC full extract was associated with accelerated tumor growth.

Conclusions:

• MRI-based radiomics sensitively captures cannabinoid-associated tumor phenotype alterations.
• Radiomics provides valuable insights beyond volumetric assessment in preclinical oncology.
• This pharmaco-imaging tool aids in characterizing treatment-related tumor biology.