Yann Jamin1, Elizabeth Ruth Cullis2,
Lynsey Vaughan2, Dow-Mu Koh1, Louis Chesler2,
Simon P. Robinson1
1Cancer Research UK and EPSRC Cancer
Imaging Center, The Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden NHS Trust,
Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom; 2Section of Paediatric Oncology, The Institute of
Cancer Research, Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom
This
study characterises the novel transgenic murine TH-MYCN model of highrisk
human neuroblastoma, the most common extracranial childhood solid tumour,
with MRI, especially the anatomical presentation, the longitudinal
development of the tumour in situ,
and its established response to the chemotherapeutic agent cyclophosphamide in vivo. In addition, quantitative MRI
parameters, and interrogation of the tumour vasculature by DCE-MRI, are also
reported. We demonstrate that MRI screening would be a crucial asset in the
development of novel MYCN-targeted
therapeutics for neuroblastoma and would accelerate their clinical
development by allowing simultaneous evaluation of preclinical MRI biomarkers
of treatment response.