Dynamic Contrast Enhanced—Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting ( DCE ‐ MRF ) Improves Detection of Induced Vascular Perfusion Reduction in a Mouse Breast Cancer Model
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT Purpose Dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI (DCE‐MRI) can assess tumor perfusion using pharmacokinetic models. However, poor DCE‐MRI reproducibility from reliance on conventional T 1 ‐weighted MRI has limited clinical translation. We evaluated whether Dynamic Contrast Enhanced‐Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (DCE‐MRF), which directly generates quantitative T 1 relaxation time constant maps, provides improved precision and statistical power for detecting treatment‐induced vascular changes compared to conventional DCE‐MRI. Methods Twenty female mice bearing orthotopic 4 T1 breast tumors were randomly assigned to DCE‐MRF ( n = 12) or conventional DCE‐MRI ( n = 8) cohorts. Both methods acquired matched spatial and temporal resolution (23‐s) T 1 measurements at baseline, 3 h, and 48 h post‐treatment with combretastatin A4 phosphate (120 mg/kg), a known vascular disrupting agent. Perfusion assessments were obtained with a pharmacokinetic Linear Reference Region Model ( RK trans and k ep,T ) and model‐independent initial area under the curve assessments and compared using Wilcoxon signed‐rank tests and Hedges' g effect sizes. Results DCE‐MRF demonstrated 1.3‐to‐5.1‐fold larger effect sizes for RK trans across all regions and timepoint comparisons, and 1.3‐to‐1.9‐fold larger effect sizes for tumor rim k ep,T compared to conventional DCE‐MRI. RK trans and k ep,T at 3 h post‐treatment in all regions, detected significant vascular recovery for whole tumor RK trans and both whole tuomor and tumor rim for k ep,T at 48 h, whereas DCE‐MRI only detected significant changes at 3 h. Conclusions DCE‐MRF's improved measurement precision and increased effect size translates directly to enhanced statistical power for detecting treatment‐induced vascular changes, positioning it as a more reproducible tumor perfusion assessment for animal models and eventually cancer patients.
Source: Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
DOI: 10.1002/mrm.70274
Language: English
Topic: MRI in cancer diagnosis
Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,680
Funders: American Heart Association, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Awards: PET Insert for Preclinical PET-MRI, G1436032867, Evaluation of glymphatic function in post-stroke brain with 3D MR fingerprinting for therapeutic prevention of edema, G2614482229, G2864027547, G3867202409, AQP4 and glymphatic function in post-stroke recovery, Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative of Northern Ohio, Catalyzing Linkages for Everyone's Health (CLE Health), Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Support Grant, Interdisciplinary Biomedical Imaging Training Program
OpenAlex ID: W7127040593