PHYSIOLOGICAL NMR IMAGING OF THE BREAST

本研究的总体目标是提高检测和 使用常规和动态方法表征乳腺癌 核磁共振（NMR）成像与可注射 造影剂在拟议的工作中，NMR成像将用于 检测和量化肿瘤血管生成。 这项工作的重点是开发定量方法，使用超 注射造影剂之前和期间的快速回波平面成像（EPI） 代理，以消除'非特异性原因的变化， 增强模式也就是说，通过测量病变的T1和 动脉输入功能的病变，可以提取定量 组织血流动力学参数-血容量和抽取流量（EF） 该产品将为癌症提供越来越特异的标志物。 因此，本研究旨在开发一种“生理”NMR研究， 乳房，除了所需的检查时间外， 常规对比增强研究。 研究的第一部分集中在验证和优化 这些方法用于植入的乳腺肿瘤的动物模型。我们提议， 使用NMR成像测量相关的水交换时间，T1， 和体内药剂的动脉浓度，并使用 多室组织模型来计算血管体积， 细胞外容积和EF。 这项研究的后一阶段是一项试点患者研究， 发展了定量方法。这项研究将测试假设是 NMR测量的局部血管体积和EF产品将 与从外科手术中组织学确定的血管计数相关 和/或芯活检;以及基础核磁共振的量化 参数将提供对现有NMR的关键改进 成像方法最终，这项工作的目标是产生一个 越来越敏感和具体的测试乳腺癌。

The overall goal of this research is to improve the detection and characterization of breast cancer using conventional and dynamic Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) imaging in combination with injectable contrast media. In the proposed work, NMR imaging will be used to detect and quantify tumor angiogenesis. This work focuses on developing quantitative methodologies using ultra- fast Echo Planar imaging (EPI) before and during injection of contrast agent to eliminate the' non-specific causes of variations of enhancement pattern. That is, by measuring the T1 of the lesion and the arterial input function to the lesion, one can extract quantitative tissue hemodynamic parameters-blood volume and extraction-flow (EF) product-that will provide an increasingly specific marker for cancer. This research thus seeks to develop a "physiological" NMR study of the breast with little additional exam time beyond that required for a conventional, contrast-enhanced study. The first part of the research focuses on validating and optimizing these methods in animal models of implanted breast tumors. We propose, using NMR imaging, to measure the relevant water exchange times, T1, and arterial concentrations of agent in vivo, and use a multicompartment tissue model to calculate vascular volume, extracellular volume and EF. The latter phase of this research is a pilot patient study of the developed quantitative methods. This study will test the hypothesis is that the NMR-measured regional vascular volume and the EF product will correlate with vessel count determined histologically from surgical and/or core biopsy; and that quantification of the underlying NMR parameters will provide a critical improvement over existing NMR imaging methods. Ultimately, the goal of this work is to produce an increasingly sensitive and specific test for breast cancer.