DCE-MRI biomarkers for monitoring an anti-angiogenic triple combination therapy in experimental hypopharynx carcinoma xenografts with immunohistochemical validation.

BackgroundNovel anti-angiogenic treatments are increasingly complementing established cancer therapy strategies in head and neck tumors. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be applied for early and non-invasive therapy monitoring by non-invasive quantitative assessment of tumor microcirculation as in vivo imaging biomarkers of therapy response.PurposeTo monitor the anti-angiogenic effects of a novel combination therapy on experimental head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) with dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI.Material and MethodsAthymic rats (n = 18) with subcutaneous HNSCC xenografts were investigated by DCE-MRI before and after 7 days of a daily triple therapy regimen combining the COX-II-inhibitor celecoxib, the matrix-metalloproteinase-inhibitor GM6001, and the uPA-inhibitor upamostat. Quantitative measurements of tumor blood flow (tBF), tumor blood volume (tBV), and permeability-surface area product (PS) were calculated and validated by immunohistochemistry.ResultsMean ...