Prostate cancer tumor grade differentiation with dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging in the rat: comparison of macromolecular and small-molecular contrast media--preliminary experience.

PURPOSE: To differentiate prostate cancers of different histopathologic grades with dynamic gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Results with a conventional small-molecular contrast medium (CM) were compared to those with a prototypic macromolecular CM.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: High- and low-grade tumors, sublines of the Dunning R3327 rat prostate cancer line, were subcutaneously implanted into the flanks of 12 male Copenhagen rats. Dynamic contrast material-enhanced MR imaging was performed with small-molecular CM and macromolecular CM at an interval of 1 day. Microvascular permeability, as estimated with the endothelial transfer coefficient, and fractional plasma volume were calculated for each tumor and each CM by means of a two-compartmental, bidirectional kinetic model.
RESULTS: Mean endothelial transfer coefficient values for both macromolecular CM and small-molecular CM were significantly different between the two tumor sublines (P = .0004 and P = .01, respectively). For the high- and low-grade tumors, no overlap of values was seen with macromolecular CM, but a broad overlap was seen with small-molecular CM despite a significant difference in mean values.
CONCLUSION: Dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging permits differentiation of histopathologic prostatic tumor types. Quantitative microvascular permeability characteristics estimated from macromolecular CM-enhanced data were significantly superior to those derived from small-molecular CM-enhanced data.