Abstract #0986

Integration of Diffusion Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging Data Into a Simple Mathematical Model of Tumor Growth

Nkiruka C. Atuegwu¹, Daniel C. Colvin¹, Mary E. Loveless^1,2, Lei Xu³, John C. Gore^1,4, Thomas E. Yankeelov^1,4

¹Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States; ²Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States; ³Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States; ⁴Radiology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States

Sequential diffusion weighted MRI (DW-MRI) data of 13 Fischer rats implanted with 9L tumors were incorporated into a mathematical model of tumor growth and treatment response. 8 rats were treated with the chemotherapy drug BCNU and 5 rats were tumor bearing controls. DW-MRI data at early time points were used to extract the proliferation rates of each tumor and was then used to calculate the number of cells at a later time point. The calculated and experimentally estimated number of cells were then compared.