Therapeutic Vascular Targeting and Irradiation: Correlation of MRI Tissue Changes at Cellular and Molecular Levels to Optimizing Outcome
Abstract
Vascular targeting agents (VTA) are new types of anticancer drugs that act on existing tumor vasculature, causing vascular disruption, which ultimately leads to extensive ischemic tumor cell death. Interesting findings showed that VTA killed cells predominantly in the more hypoxic tumor center, as a consequence of hemorrhagic necrosis after vascular collapse, whereas the better perfused peripheral rim was less affected. This apparently limits the effectiveness of such agents and rapid re-growth of tumor residues occurs. However, these findings suggest the possibility and promise of a combination of VTA with treatments specifically targeting the viable tumor rim. Radiation can certainly be expected to be most effective against the well-perfused and oxygenated cell populations at the peripheries of the tumors. One major goal of this project is to fully understand and precisely assess the dynamic changes in blood perfusion and oxygenation after VTA, so that we may predict response and optimize the therapy. I propose to use in vivo MRI to measure and assess physiological changes, e.g. tumor blood perfusion and dynamic tissue oxygenation, in the tumors before and after treatment. I believe non-invasive MRI approaches may provide a valuable prognostic tool to predict the response of specific breast tumors to VTA.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA494942
Entities
People
- Dawen Zhao
Organizations
- University of Texas at Dallas