Clemens C. Cyran1, Barbara Sennino2, Yanjun Fu3, Victor Rogut3, Bundit Chaopathomkul3, David M. Shames3, Michael F. Wendland3, Donald M. McDonald2, Robert C. Brasch3
1Department of Clinical Radiology, University Hospitals Munich - Grosshadern, Munich, Germany; 2Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, and Department of Anatomy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; 3Radiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
Dynamic MRI assays of endothelial permeability were evaluated for their potential to differentiate tumors with high intrinsic vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) activity from tumors with low VEGF-activity by correlating dynamic MRI assays of endothelial permeability with immunohistochemical measurements of VEGF on a tumor-by-tumor basis. Subcutaneous breast cancer xenografts with different levels of intrinsic VEGF-activity were grown in rats and imaged by MRI using the macromolecular contrast agent albumin-(Gd-DTPA) 27. Non-invasive MRI results correlated significantly with invasive immunohistochemical results. Dynamic MRI assays of endothelial permeability could be clinically applicable to define the suitability of patients for VEGF-inhibiting anti-angiogenic drug therapy.