Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can portray spatial variations in tumor heterogeneity, architecture, and its microenvironment in a non-destructive way. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between MRI parameters measured on patients in vivo, individual metabolites measured in prostatectomy tissue ex vivo, and quantitative histopathology.
Fresh frozen tissue samples (n = 53 from 15 patients) were extracted from transversal prostate slices and linked to in vivo MR images, allowing spatially matching of ex vivo measured metabolites with in vivo MR parameters. Color-based segmentation of cryosections of each tissue sample was used to identify luminal space, stroma, and nuclei.
Cancer samples have significantly lower area percentage of lumen and higher area percentage of nuclei than non-cancer samples (p ≤ 0.001). Apparent diffusion coefficient is significantly correlated with percentage area of lumen (ρ = 0.6, p < 0.001) and percentage area of nuclei (ρ = -0.35, p = 0.01). There is a positive correlation (ρ = 0.31, p = 0.053) between citrate and percentage area of lumen. Choline is negatively correlated with lumen (ρ = -0.38, p = 0.02) and positively correlated with percentage area of nuclei (ρ = 0.38, p = 0.02).
Microstructures that are observed by histopathology are linked to MR characteristics and metabolite levels observed in prostate cancer.
Frontiers in oncology. 2016 Jun 14*** epublish ***
Kirsten Margrete Selnæs, Riyas Vettukattil, Helena Bertilsson, Alan J Wright, Arend Heerschap, Anders Angelsen, May-Britt Tessem, Tone Frost Bathen
Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway., Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Norwegian University of Science and Technology , Trondheim , Norway., Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Urology, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway., Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge , Cambridge , UK., Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center , Nijmegen , Netherlands., Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Norwegian University of Science and Technology , Trondheim , Norway., Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Norwegian University of Science and Technology , Trondheim , Norway., Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Norwegian University of Science and Technology , Trondheim , Norway.