Abstract
Despite multiple advances in medical imaging, noninvasive monitoring of therapeutic efficacy for malignant gliomas remains problematic. An underutilized observation is that malignancy induces characteristic abnormalities of vessel shape. These characteristic shape abnormalities affect both capillaries and much larger vessels in the tumor vicinity, involve larger vessels prior to sprout formation, and are generally not present in hypervascular benign tumors. Vessel shape abnormalities associated with malignancy thus may appear independently of increase in vessel density. We hypothesize that an automated, computerized analysis of vessel shape as defined from high-resolution MRA can provide valuable information about tumor activity during the treatment of malignant gliomas. This report describes vessel shape properties in 10 malignant gliomas prior to treatment, in 2 patients in remission during treatment, and in 2 patients with recurrent disease. One subject was scanned multiple times. The method involves an automated, statistical analysis of vessel shape within a region of interest for each tumor, normalized by the values obtained from the vessels within the same region of interest of 34 healthy subjects. Results indicate that untreated tumors display statistically significant vessel tortuosity abnormalities. These abnormalities involve vessels not only within the tumor margins as defined from MR but also vessels in the surrounding tissue. The abnormalities resolve during effective treatment and recur with tumor recurrence. We conclude that vessel shape analysis could provide an important means of assessing tumor activity.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 577-584 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Technology in Cancer Research and Treatment |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| State | Published - Dec 2004 |
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Keywords
- Computer analysis
- GBM
- MRA
- Tortuosity
- Vessels
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cancer Research
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging
Cite this
Abnormal vessel tortuosity as a marker of treatment response of malignant gliomas : Preliminary report. / Bullitt, Elizabeth; Ewend, Matthew G.; Aylward, Stephen; Lin, Weili; Gerig, Guido; Joshi, Sarang; Jung, Inkyung; Muller, Keith; Smith, J. Keith.
In: Technology in Cancer Research and Treatment, Vol. 3, No. 6, 12.2004, p. 577-584.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Abnormal vessel tortuosity as a marker of treatment response of malignant gliomas
T2 - Preliminary report
AU - Bullitt, Elizabeth
AU - Ewend, Matthew G.
AU - Aylward, Stephen
AU - Lin, Weili
AU - Gerig, Guido
AU - Joshi, Sarang
AU - Jung, Inkyung
AU - Muller, Keith
AU - Smith, J. Keith
PY - 2004/12
Y1 - 2004/12
N2 - Despite multiple advances in medical imaging, noninvasive monitoring of therapeutic efficacy for malignant gliomas remains problematic. An underutilized observation is that malignancy induces characteristic abnormalities of vessel shape. These characteristic shape abnormalities affect both capillaries and much larger vessels in the tumor vicinity, involve larger vessels prior to sprout formation, and are generally not present in hypervascular benign tumors. Vessel shape abnormalities associated with malignancy thus may appear independently of increase in vessel density. We hypothesize that an automated, computerized analysis of vessel shape as defined from high-resolution MRA can provide valuable information about tumor activity during the treatment of malignant gliomas. This report describes vessel shape properties in 10 malignant gliomas prior to treatment, in 2 patients in remission during treatment, and in 2 patients with recurrent disease. One subject was scanned multiple times. The method involves an automated, statistical analysis of vessel shape within a region of interest for each tumor, normalized by the values obtained from the vessels within the same region of interest of 34 healthy subjects. Results indicate that untreated tumors display statistically significant vessel tortuosity abnormalities. These abnormalities involve vessels not only within the tumor margins as defined from MR but also vessels in the surrounding tissue. The abnormalities resolve during effective treatment and recur with tumor recurrence. We conclude that vessel shape analysis could provide an important means of assessing tumor activity.
AB - Despite multiple advances in medical imaging, noninvasive monitoring of therapeutic efficacy for malignant gliomas remains problematic. An underutilized observation is that malignancy induces characteristic abnormalities of vessel shape. These characteristic shape abnormalities affect both capillaries and much larger vessels in the tumor vicinity, involve larger vessels prior to sprout formation, and are generally not present in hypervascular benign tumors. Vessel shape abnormalities associated with malignancy thus may appear independently of increase in vessel density. We hypothesize that an automated, computerized analysis of vessel shape as defined from high-resolution MRA can provide valuable information about tumor activity during the treatment of malignant gliomas. This report describes vessel shape properties in 10 malignant gliomas prior to treatment, in 2 patients in remission during treatment, and in 2 patients with recurrent disease. One subject was scanned multiple times. The method involves an automated, statistical analysis of vessel shape within a region of interest for each tumor, normalized by the values obtained from the vessels within the same region of interest of 34 healthy subjects. Results indicate that untreated tumors display statistically significant vessel tortuosity abnormalities. These abnormalities involve vessels not only within the tumor margins as defined from MR but also vessels in the surrounding tissue. The abnormalities resolve during effective treatment and recur with tumor recurrence. We conclude that vessel shape analysis could provide an important means of assessing tumor activity.
KW - Computer analysis
KW - GBM
KW - MRA
KW - Tortuosity
KW - Vessels
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=11144299056&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=11144299056&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
VL - 3
SP - 577
EP - 584
JO - Technology in Cancer Research and Treatment
JF - Technology in Cancer Research and Treatment
SN - 1533-0346
IS - 6
ER -