Tumor Detection and Classification using QUS Technology's Structure Function

项目摘要 我们的合作基础科学和临床团队将阐明超声散射的机制， 通过系统地研究超声散射的一个重要组成部分， 功能（SF），使用来自动物模型的实体瘤和成人肝细胞癌（HCC） 受试者，从而提高定量超声（QUS，组织的量化）的准确性 微结构）技术在非侵入性肿瘤检测和分类中的应用。SF概念产生于 波散射的背景：散射体集合的散射功率不仅取决于 单个散射体的特性（由形状因子建模），而且还取决于 散射体（由SF建模）。 结构函数是新的：SF在很大程度上被忽视，其中散射体位置是 假定为不相关（即，SF是统一的）。统一SF假设不适合密集 散射介质（例如，实体瘤和大多数实质组织）或稀疏介质显示特殊的 散射体分布的模式。非统一SF主要是在简单散射介质上研究的， 物理幻影和血液。这项研究是新的，许多基础科学和技术 将继续进行创新。我们的目标是用动物实体瘤和人的SF进行系统的研究 肝脏和HCC数据，以改善超声散射模型，并最终提高QUS的诊断价值 结果。该研究在基础科学水平上对阐明散射问题做出了贡献 通过SF模型开发和使用动物肿瘤模型在体内验证机制，并在 翻译水平，以提高使用人类肝脏和HCC数据的肿瘤检测/分类的准确性。 主要假设和目的：1）SF是阐明超声散射机制的关键。 在生物组织中。2)SF对某些疾病类型和阶段敏感。3)QUS的准确性， 当使用SF时，将显著改善体内非侵入性检测/分类组织/肿瘤 与不使用时相比。为了验证这些假设，我们设计了一个研究项目， 目标：目标1。开发理论SF模型，匹配散射体空间分布 研究中的肿瘤/组织类型。目标2.在小鼠/大鼠中使用实体瘤的BISSF模型。目标3。 使用100例非酒精性脂肪性肝病的临床人类肝脏数据测试SF的诊断价值 （NAFLD）参与者、150名阿尔茨海默病参与者、50名HCC参与者和150名正常参与者。 总结/影响：SF是一种超声回波成分，由以下因素决定并对其敏感 组织微结构的结构模式（例如，肝细胞核）。SF将是一种具有临床价值的 用于疾病诊断的成像生物标志物是因为许多疾病过程（例如，HCC）显著变化 从而改变从超声信号导出的SF。

Project Summary Our collaborative basic science and clinical team will elucidate the mechanism(s) of ultrasound scattering in biological tissues by systematically studying a significant component of ultrasonic scattering, the structure function (SF), using solid tumors from animal models and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in adult human subjects, and thereby improve the accuracy of Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS, the quantification of tissue microstructure) techniques in noninvasive tumor detection and classification. The SF concept arises in the context of wave scattering: the scattered power of a collection of scatterers depends not only on the properties of the individual scatterers (modeled by the form factor), but also on the spatial correlation among the scatterers (modeled by the SF). Structure function is new: The SF has largely been overlooked wherein the scatterer positions are assumed to be uncorrelated (i.e., SF is unity). The unity SF assumption is not appropriate for dense scattering media (e.g., solid tumors and most parenchymal tissues) or sparse media showing special patterns of scatterer distribution. Non-unity SF has mostly been studied on simple scattering media such as physical phantoms and blood. This investigation is new, and numerous basic science and technical innovations will be pursued. Our goal is to systematically study the SF using animal solid tumors and human liver and HCC data to improve ultrasonic scattering models and ultimately the diagnostic value of QUS outcomes. The research makes contributions at the basic science level to elucidate the scattering mechanisms by SF model development and validate using animal tumor models in vivo, and at the translational level to improve the accuracy of tumor detection/classification using human liver and HCC data. Central hypotheses and aims: 1) The SF is critical to elucidate ultrasonic scattering mechanism(s) in biological tissues. 2) The SF is sensitive to certain disease types and stages. 3) The accuracy of QUS to noninvasively detect/classify tissues/tumors in vivo will be significantly improved when the SF is utilized compared to when it is not utilized. To test these hypotheses, we have designed a research program with the following aims: Aim 1. Develop theoretical SF models that match scatterer spatial distributions of tumor/tissue types under investigation. Aim 2. Validate SF models using solid tumors in mice/rats. Aim 3. Test the diagnostic value of SF using clinical human liver data from 100 nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) participants, 150 cirrhotic participants, 50 HCC participants, and 150 normal participants. Summary/Impact: The SF is an ultrasound echo component that is determined by and sensitive to the architectural pattern of tissue microstructure (e.g., liver cell nuclei). The SF will be a clinically valuable imaging biomarker for disease diagnosis because many disease processes (e.g., HCC) remarkably change to a unique architectural pattern and consequently change the SF derived from the ultrasound signal.