Real-time hyperpolarized (HP) ¹³C MR can be utilized during high-intensity focal ultrasound (HIFU) therapy to improve treatment delivery strategies, provide treatment verification, and thus reduce the need for more radical therapies for lowand intermediate-risk prostate cancers. The goal is to develop imaging biomarkers specific to thermal therapies of prostate cancer using HIFU, and to predict the success of thermal coagulation and identify tissues potentially sensitized to adjuvant treatment by sub-ablative hyperthermic heat doses. Mice with solid prostate tumors received HIFU treatment (5.6 MHz, 160W/cm², 60 s), and the MR imaging follow-ups were performed on a wide-bore 14T microimaging system. ¹³C-labeled pyruvate and urea were used to monitor tumor metabolism and perfusion accordingly. After treatment, the ablated tumor tissue had a loss in metabolism and perfusion. In the regions receiving sub-ablative heat dose, a timedependent change in metabolism and perfusion was observed. The untreated regions behaved as a normal untreated TRAMP prostate tumor would. This promising preliminary study shows the potential of using ¹³C MR imaging as biomarkers of HIFU/thermal therapies.

Date Published: 12 March 2015
PDF: 4 pages
Proc. SPIE 9326, Energy-based Treatment of Tissue and Assessment VIII, 93260R (12 March 2015); doi: 10.1117/12.2080476

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9326:
Energy-based Treatment of Tissue and Assessment VIII
Thomas P. Ryan, Editor(s)