Barbara Blasiak1, James Landry2, Randy Tyson3, Jonathan Sharp3, Umar Iqbal4, Abedelnasser Abulrob5, David Rushforth2, John Matyas6, Dragana Ponjevic6, Garnette R Sutherland2, Stefan Wolfsberger7, Boguslaw Tomanek8. 1. Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada; Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Krakow, 152 Radzikowskiego, Krakow, Malopolska 31-342, Poland. 2. Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada. 3. Alberta Innovates Technology Futures, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 4. Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada. 5. Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8M5, Canada; Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada. 6. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada. 7. Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University Vienna - General Hospital (AKH), Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1097 Vienna, Austria. 8. Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada; Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Krakow, 152 Radzikowskiego, Krakow, Malopolska 31-342, Poland; Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute, 980 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 6V4, Canada. Electronic address: btomanek@ucalgary.ca.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Glioma is the most common and most difficult to treat brain cancer. Despite many efforts treatment, efficacy remains low. As neurosurgical removal is the standard procedure for glioma, a method, allowing for both early detection and exact determination of the location, size and extent of the tumor, could improve a patient's positive response to therapy. NEW METHOD: We propose application of susceptibility weighted molecular magnetic resonance imaging using, targeted contrast agents, based on superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, for imaging of the, glioma rim, namely brain-tumor interface. Iron oxide attached to the targeted cells increases, susceptibility differences at the boundary between tumor and normal tissue, providing the opportunity, to utilize susceptibility weighted imaging for improved tumor delineation. We investigated potential, enhancement of the tumor-brain contrast, including tumor core and rim when using susceptibility, weighted MRI for molecular imaging of glioma. RESULTS: There were significant differences in contrast-to-noise ratio before, 12 and 120min after contrast, agent injection between standard gradient echo pulse sequence and susceptibility weighted molecular, magnetic resonance imaging for the core-brain, tumor rim-core and tumor rim-brain areas. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: Currently, the most common MRI contrast agent used for glioma diagnosis is a non-specific, gadolinium-based agent providing T1-weighted enhancement. Susceptibility-weighted magnetic, resonance imaging is much less efficient when no targeted superparamagnetic contrast agents are, used. CONCLUSION: The improved determination of glioma extent provided by SWI offers an important new tool for, diagnosis and surgical planning.
BACKGROUND:Glioma is the most common and most difficult to treat brain cancer. Despite many efforts treatment, efficacy remains low. As neurosurgical removal is the standard procedure for glioma, a method, allowing for both early detection and exact determination of the location, size and extent of the tumor, could improve a patient's positive response to therapy. NEW METHOD: We propose application of susceptibility weighted molecular magnetic resonance imaging using, targeted contrast agents, based on superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, for imaging of the, glioma rim, namely brain-tumor interface. Iron oxide attached to the targeted cells increases, susceptibility differences at the boundary between tumor and normal tissue, providing the opportunity, to utilize susceptibility weighted imaging for improved tumor delineation. We investigated potential, enhancement of the tumor-brain contrast, including tumor core and rim when using susceptibility, weighted MRI for molecular imaging of glioma. RESULTS: There were significant differences in contrast-to-noise ratio before, 12 and 120min after contrast, agent injection between standard gradient echo pulse sequence and susceptibility weighted molecular, magnetic resonance imaging for the core-brain, tumor rim-core and tumor rim-brain areas. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: Currently, the most common MRI contrast agent used for glioma diagnosis is a non-specific, gadolinium-based agent providing T1-weighted enhancement. Susceptibility-weighted magnetic, resonance imaging is much less efficient when no targeted superparamagnetic contrast agents are, used. CONCLUSION: The improved determination of glioma extent provided by SWI offers an important new tool for, diagnosis and surgical planning.