MR-Elastography, a New Biomarker of the Tumor Vascularization in a Colon Cancer Mice Model

Lauriane Jug¹, Bich-Thuy Doan², Johanne Seguin², Miguel Albuquerque¹, Benoit Larrat³, Daniel Scherman², Valerie Vilgrain¹, Valrie Paradis¹, Bernard E. Van-Beers¹, Ralph Sinkus¹

Assessment and follow-up of angiogenesis are major challenges in cancer. We studied the alterations of the vascularization during the spontaneous growth of a murine colon tumor and after a treatment with an antivascular agent. We obtained T2-weighted, 3D steady-state MR-Elastography and Diffusion MR images. After the MR examinations, the tumors were excised for histological analysis (CD31 and KI67 immunohistology). Our results show that it was possible to follow the evolution of a tumor and the efficacy of an antivascular agent using MRE. It was also shown that the viscosity and the elasticity are potentially new biomarkers to trace alterations of the vascularization.