Application of Intravoxel Incoherent Motion Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in Predicting and Monitoring Early Efficacy of Anti-Angiogenic Therapy in the C6 Glioma Rat Model

Three-dimensional turbo-spin-echo amide proton transfer-weighted and intravoxel incoherent motion imaging mri for triple-negative breast cancer: a comparison with molecular subtypes and histological grades

OBJECTIVE

To investigate associations between breast cancer molecular subtype and intravoxel incoherent motion imaging (IVIM) and amide proton transfer-weighted (APTw).

METHODS

This prospective study involved 264 patients with suspected breast tumors who underwent both breast APTw and IVIM MRI. The maximum diameter of the tumor (Dmax), APT value, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), diffusion coefficient (D), pseudo diffusion coefficient (D*), and perfusion fraction (f) values along with histological subtype, grade, and prognostic factors (Ki-67, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2), were compared. APT values about biological subtypes, Ki-67 labeling index, and nuclear grades (NGs) were further analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 205 participants (mean age, 53 years, range 29-80) were included in the evaluation. The triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cancers showed significantly higher D* values than the Luminal B cancers (P = 0.002), while there was no difference in Dmax, ADC, D, and APT (P = 0.068,0.318,0.432,0.089). The TN-type cancers showed significantly higher APT values than the HER2-type cancers (P = 0.002). The area under the curve (AUC) obtained from APTw, IVIM, and Dmax was 0.874. The APT had a moderate positive correlation with the unclear grade (r = 0.473, P < 0.001), and the D* had a weak positive correlation with the Ki-67 labeling index(r = 0.160, P = 0.022).

CONCLUSION

The TN subtype of breast cancer is associated with APT value and D* from IVIM. The APTw may be a promising method for predicting TNBC molecular subtypes.

Multi-b-value DWI to evaluate the synergistic antiproliferation and anti-heterogeneity effects of bufalin plus sorafenib in an orthotopic HCC model

BACKGROUND

Multi-b-value diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with different postprocessing models allows for evaluating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) proliferation, spatial heterogeneity, and feasibility of treatment strategies. We assessed synergistic effects of bufalin+sorafenib in orthotopic HCC-LM3 xenograft nude mice by using intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM), diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), a stretched exponential model (SEM), and a fractional-order calculus (FROC) model.

METHODS

Twenty-four orthotopic HCC-LM3 xenograft mice were divided into bufalin+sorafenib, bufalin, sorafenib treatment groups, and a control group. Multi-b-value DWI was performed using a 3-T scanner after 3 weeks' treatment to obtain true diffusion coefficient Dt, pseudo-diffusion coefficient Dp, perfusion fraction f, mean diffusivity (MD), mean kurtosis (MK), distributed diffusion coefficient (DDC), heterogeneity index α, diffusion coefficient D, fractional order parameter β, and microstructural quantity μ. Necrotic fraction (NF), standard deviation (SD) of hematoxylin-eosin staining, and microvessel density (MVD) of anti-CD31 staining were evaluated. Correlations of DWI parameters with histopathological results were analyzed, and measurements were compared among four groups.

RESULTS

In the final 22 mice, f positively correlated with MVD (r = 0.679, p = 0.001). Significantly good correlations of MK (r = 0.677), α (r = -0.696), and β (r= -0.639) with SD were observed (all p < 0.010). f, MK, MVD, and SD were much lower, while MD, α, β, and NF were higher in bufalin plus sorafenib group than control group (all p < 0.050).

CONCLUSION

Evaluated by IVIM, DKI, SEM, and FROC, bufalin+sorafenib was found to inhibit tumor proliferation and angiogenesis and reduce spatial heterogeneity in HCC-LM3 models.

RELEVANCE STATEMENT

Multi-b-value DWI provides potential metrics for evaluating the efficacy of treatment in HCC.

KEY POINTS

• Bufalin plus sorafenib combination may increase the effectiveness of HCC therapy. • Multi-b-value DWI depicted HCC proliferation, angiogenesis, and spatial heterogeneity. • Multi-b-value DWI may be a noninvasive method to assess HCC therapeutic efficacy.

Correlations between intravoxel incoherent motion-derived fast diffusion and perfusion fraction parameters and VEGF- and MIB-1-positive rates in brain gliomas: an intraoperative MR-navigated, biopsy-based histopathologic study

OBJECTIVES

To explore the correlations between histopathologic findings and intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM)-derived perfusion and diffusion parameters in brain gliomas.

METHODS

Thirty-two biopsy samples from twenty-one patients with newly diagnosed gliomas from a previous prospective cohort study were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent diffusion-weighted MRI with 22 b values (0-5000 s/mm2), followed by intraoperative MR-guided biopsy surgery and surgical resection. All 32 biopsy samples underwent immunohistochemical staining followed by quantitative analysis of cell density (cellularity), percent of MIB-1 (Ki67)-positive expression (pMIB-1), number of CD34-stained vessels (CD34-MVD), and percent of VEGF-positive expressing cells (pVEGF) using a multispectral phenotyping microscope. Based on the co-registered localized biopsy, correlation analysis was performed between the IVIM-derived biexponential model-based parameters (Dfast1500 and Dfast5000, Dslow1500 and Dslow5000, PF1500 and PF5000) and the above four pathological biomarkers and glioma grades.

RESULTS

Significant positive correlations were revealed between Dfast5000 and pVEGF (rho (r) = 0.466, p = 0.007), and Dfast1500 and pVEGF (r = 0.371, p = 0.037). A significant negative correlation was revealed between PF5000 with pMIB-1 (r =  - 0.456, p = 0.01). Moderate to good positive correlations were shown between Dfast5000 and glioma grades (r = 0.509, p = 0.003) and Dfast1500 and glioma grades (r = 0.476, p = 0.006).

CONCLUSIONS

IVIM-DWI-derived Dfast and PF correlate, respectively, with intratumor pVEGF and pMIB-1. When using the wide-high b value scheme, IVIM-derived Dfast and PF tend to demonstrate better efficacy in evaluating malignancy-related characteristics such as angiogenesis and cellular proliferation in gliomas.

KEY POINTS

• Intravoxel incoherent motion-diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI)-derived fast diffusion (Dfast) and perfusion fraction (PF) can quantitatively reflect intratumor pVEGF and pMIB-1. • IVIM-DWI-derived Dfast and PF tend to demonstrate better efficacy in evaluating glioma malignancy when an optimized scheme is used. • IVIM-DWI-derived Dfast5000 and PF5000 are promising non-invasive parameters correlating with pVEGF and pMIB-1 in gliomas.

piRNAs and PIWI proteins as potential biomarkers in ‌Breast cancer

BACKGROUND

PIWI interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are another subgroup of small non-coding RNAs, that can play different biological activity further to their capabilities in the germline such as regulating the gene and protein expression, epigenetic silencing of transposable elements, and regulating the spermatogenesis by interacting with PIWI proteins.

METHODS

We search online academic data bases including (Google Scholar, Web of Science and Pub Med), the relevant literature was extracted from the databases by using search terms of piRNAs and breast cancer  as free-text words and also with the combination with OR /AND by may 2022.

RESULTS

Recently, with the help of next-generation sequencing abnormal piRNA expression has been observed to associate with the occurrence and development of human cancers, such as  breast cancer (BC). Recent investigation proposing piRNA as a prognostic and diagnostic biomarker based on their cancer-related interaction in the treatment of BC.

CONCLUSION

This review aims to focus on the role of piRNAs in the initiation, progression, and the occurrence of breast cancer in order to understand its function and provide a better therapeutic strategy.