New Insights into Tumor Microstructure Using Temporal Diffusion Spectroscopy
- 15 July 2008
- journal article
- Published by American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Cancer Research
- Vol. 68 (14), 5941-5947
- https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.can-08-0832
Abstract
Magnetic resonance images (MRI) that depict rates of water diffusion in tissues can be used to characterize the cellularity of tumors and are valuable in assessing their early response to treatment. Water diffusion rates are sensitive to the cellular and molecular content of tissues and are affected by local microstructural changes associated with tumor development. However, conventional maps of water diffusion reflect the integrated effects of restrictions to free diffusion at multiple scales up to a specific limiting spatial dimension, typically several micrometers. Such measurements cannot distinguish effects caused by structural variations at a smaller scale. Variations in diffusion rates then largely reflect variations in the density of cells, and no information is available about changes on a subcellular scale. We report here our experiences using a new approach based on Oscillating Gradient Spin-Echo (OGSE) MRI methods that can differentiate the influence on water diffusion of structural changes on scales much smaller than the diameter of a single cell. MRIs of glioblastomas in rat brain in vivo show an increased contrast and spatial heterogeneity when diffusion measurements are selectively sensitized to shorter distance scales. These results show the benefit of OGSE methods for revealing microscopic variations in tumors in vivo and confirm that diffusion measurements depend on factors other than cellularity. [Cancer Res 2008;68(14):5941–7]Keywords
This publication has 45 references indexed in Scilit:
- Integration of quantitative DCE-MRI and ADC mapping to monitor treatment response in human breast cancer: initial resultsMagnetic Resonance Imaging, 2006
- Temporal diffusion spectroscopy: Theory and implementation in restricted systems using oscillating gradientsMagnetic Resonance in Medicine, 2005
- Intravoxel distribution of DWI decay rates reveals C6 glioma invasion in rat brainMagnetic Resonance in Medicine, 2004
- Rat C6 glioma as experimental model system for the study of glioblastoma growth and invasionCell and tissue research, 2002
- Absolute Quantitation of Diffusion Constants in Human StrokeStroke, 1997
- The application of porous‐media theory to the investigation of time‐dependent diffusion in in vivo systemsNMR in Biomedicine, 1995
- Alteration of Intracellular Metabolite Diffusion in Rat Brain In Vivo During Ischemia and ReperfusionStroke, 1995
- Healthy and infarcted brain tissues studied at short diffusion times: The origins of apparent restriction and the reduction in apparent diffusion coefficientNMR in Biomedicine, 1994
- A simple method for obtaining cross‐term‐free images for diffusion anisotropy studies in NMR microimagingMagnetic Resonance in Medicine, 1991
- Diffusion‐weighted MR imaging of extraaxial tumorsMagnetic Resonance in Medicine, 1991