Mapping the Microenvironment of Tumors
Shanshan Jiang1
1Johns Hopkins University, United States

Synopsis

Keywords: Education Committee: Clinical MRI

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a crucial factor in tumor development, progression, metastasis, and response to therapy. It is characterized by altered metabolism, hypoxia, inflammation, and angiogenesis. This lecture aims to provide attendees with an in-depth understanding of the fundamental concepts and clinical translational value of the TME, as well as functional and molecular imaging techniques used to map TME from various aspects. The MRI techniques and analytic approaches to be discussed include chemical exchange saturation transfer imaging (including amide proton transfer imaging), diffusion-weighted imaging, perfusion-weighted imaging, and omics data analysis.

Syllabus

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a crucial factor in tumor development, progression, metastasis, and response to therapy. It refers to the local environment in which cancer cells reside and is characterized by several features that distinguish it from normal tissue, including altered metabolism, hypoxia, inflammation, and angiogenesis.1-5 This lecture aims to provide attendees with an in-depth understanding of the fundamental concepts and clinical translational value of the TME, as well as functional and molecular imaging techniques used to map TME from various aspects. Specifically, the lecture will cover several MRI/MRS techniques and analytic approaches used to detect pH, group immune cells, map angiogenesis, and decode the crosstalk between TME and tumor cells, as well as the implications of the findings. MRI is a practical and promising imaging tool for exploring the TME.6 The MRI techniques and analytic approaches to be discussed include chemical exchange saturation transfer imaging (including amide proton transfer imaging), diffusion-weighted imaging, perfusion-weighted imaging, and omics data analysis.7-18
The latest developments in imaging have opened up distinctive avenues for studying the tumor microenvironment and comprehending its influence on the development of tumors, the spread of cancerous cells, and the effectiveness of treatments. However, these opportunities come with certain obstacles, such as integrating tumoral biology and imaging methods to create in vivo models and contrast agents that can investigate particular pathways, aligning data obtained from various techniques, and interpreting such combined and varied data.6

Acknowledgements

This lecture was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R37CA248077, R01CA228188)

References

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Proc. Intl. Soc. Mag. Reson. Med. 31 (2023)