Manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) in breast and prostate cancers: exploring the potential role of calcium receptors.

Procedures: To assess the relationship between Manganese Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MEMRI) and the expression of calcium receptors in human prostate and breast cancer animal models. Methods: NOD/SCID mice were inoculated with MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and prostate PC3 cancer cells to develop orthotopic or pseudometastatic cancer animal models. Mice were studied on a clinical 3T scanner by using a prototype birdcage coil before and after intravenous injection of MnCl2. Assessment of receptor’s status was carried out after the MR images acquisition by immunohistochemistry on excised tumours. Results: Manganese contrast enhancement in breast or prostate cancer animal models well correlated with CaSR expression (p<0.01), whereas TRPV6 expression levels appeared not relevant to the Mn uptake. Conclusion: MEMRI appears an efficient tool to characterize human breast and prostate cancer animal models in the presence of different expression level of CaSR.