Microvessel Density (MVD) in Locally Advanced Breast Cancer

Diagnostic value of one-stop CT energy spectrum and perfusion for angiogenesis in colon and rectum cancer

OBJECTIVE

Evaluation of the predictive value of one-stop energy spectrum and perfusion CT parameters for microvessel density (MVD) in colorectal cancer cancer foci.

METHODS

Clinical and CT data of 82 patients with colorectal cancer confirmed by preoperative colonoscopy or surgical pathology in our hospital from September 2019 to November 2022 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Energy spectrum CT images were measured using the Protocols general module of the GSI Viewer software of the GE AW 4.7 post-processing workstation to measure the CT values of the arterial and venous phase lesions and the neighboring normal intestinal wall in a single energy range of 40 kev∼140 kev, and the slopes of the energy spectrum curves (λ) were calculated between 40 kev-90 kev; Iodine concentration (IC), Water concentration (WC), Effective-Z (Eff-Z) and Normalized iodine concentration (NIC) were measured by placing a region of interest (ROI) on the iodine concentration map and water concentration map at the lesion and adjacent to the normal intestinal wall.Perfusion CT images were scanned continuously and dynamically using GSI Perfusion software and analyzed by applying CT Perfusion 4.0 software.Blood volume (BV), blood flow (BF), surface permeability (PS), time to peak (TTP), and mean transit time (MTT) were measured respectively in the lesion and adjacent normal colorectal wall. Based on the pathological findings, the tumors were divided into a low MVD group (MVD < 35/field of view, n = 52 cases) and a high MVD group (MVD ≥ 35/field of view, n = 30 cases) using a median of 35/field of view as the MVD grouping criterion. The collected data were statistically analyzed, the subjects' operating characteristic curve (ROC) was plotted, and the area under curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, and Yoden index were calculated for the predicted efficacy of each parameter of the energy spectrum and perfusion CT and the combined parameters.

RESULTS

The CT values, IC, NIC, λ, Eff-Z of 40kev∼140kev single energy in the arterial and venous phase of colorectal cancer in the high MVD group were higher than those in the low MVD group, and the differences were all statistically significant (p < 0.05). The AUC of each single-energy CT value in the arterial phase from 40 kev to 120 kev for determining the high or low MVD of colorectal cancer was greater than 0.8, indicating that arterial stage has a good predictive value for high or low MVD in colorectal cancer; AUC for arterial IC, NIC and IC + NIC were all greater than 0.9, indicating that in arterial colorectal cancer, both single and combined parameters of spectral CT are highly effective in predicting the level of MVD. The AUC of 40 kev to 90 kev single-energy CT values in the intravenous phase was greater than 0.9, and its diagnostic efficacy was more representative; The AUC of IC and NIC in venous stage were greater than 0.8, which indicating that the IC and NIC energy spectrum parameters in venous stage colorectal cancer have a very good predictive value for the difference between high and low MVDs, with the greatest diagnostic efficacy in IC.The values of BV and BF in the high MVD group were higher than those in the low MVD group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05), and the AUC of BF, BV, and BV + BF were 0.991, 0.733, and 0.997, respectively, with the highest diagnostic efficacy for determining the level of MVD in colorectal cancer by BV + BF.

CONCLUSION

One-stop CT energy spectrum and perfusion imaging technology can accurately reflect the MVD in living tumor tissues, which in turn reflects the tumor angiogenesis, and to a certain extent helps to determine the malignancy, invasion and metastasis of living colorectal cancer tumor tissues based on CT energy spectrum and perfusion parameters.

LncRNA LINC01857 reduces metastasis and angiogenesis in breast cancer cells via regulating miR-2052/CENPQ axis

Long non-coding RNAs have been confirmed closely related to the metastasis and angiogenesis of breast cancer (BC). LINC01857 can promote the growth and metastasis of BC cells. The present work focused on exploring the role of LINC01857 in BC metastasis and angiogenesis and investigating the possible mechanisms. The results showed that LINC01857 and CENPQ were highly expressed in BC tissues and cells, while miR-2052 was contrarily expressed. In vitro study showed that low expression of linc01857 could inhibit the migration ability and vascularization of BC cells, and mir-2052 inhibitor partially restored the effect of si-LINC01857 on the migration ability and vascularization of BC cells. Likewise, inhibition of CENPQ can partially rescue the effects of miR-2052 inhibitor on the migration ability and vascularization of BC cells. In vivo studies showed that down-regulation of LINC01857 notably suppressed tumor growth and angiogenesis in nude mice. The miR-2052 inhibitor partially restored the effects of si-LINC01857. CENPQ suppression partially rescued the effects of the miR-2052 inhibitor. To conclude, LINC01857/miR-2052/CENPQ is the potential novel target for BC treatment.

Vascularity and Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Angiogenesis is a key step in the initiation and progression of an invasive breast cancer. High microvessel density by morphological characterization predicts metastasis and poor survival in women with invasive breast cancers. However, morphologic characterization is subject to variability and only can evaluate a limited portion of an invasive breast cancer. Consequently, breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is currently being evaluated to assess vascularity. Recently, through the new field of radiomics, dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE)-MRI is being used to evaluate vascular density, vascular morphology, and detection of aggressive breast cancer biology. While DCE-MRI is a highly sensitive tool, there are specific features that limit computational evaluation of blood vessels. These include (1) DCE-MRI evaluates gadolinium contrast and does not directly evaluate biology, (2) the resolution of DCE-MRI is insufficient for imaging small blood vessels, and (3) DCE-MRI images are very difficult to co-register. Here we review computational approaches for detection and analysis of blood vessels in DCE-MRI images and present some of the strategies we have developed for co-registry of DCE-MRI images and early detection of vascularization.

Achievement in active agent structures as a power tools in tumor angiogenesis imaging

According to World Health Organization (WHO) cancer is the second most important cause of death globally. Because angiogenesis is considered as an essential process of growth, proliferation and tumor progression, within this review we decided to shade light on recent development of chemical compounds which play a significant role in its imaging and monitoring. Indeed, the review gives insight about the current achievements of active agents structures involved in imaging techniques such as: positron emission computed tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), as well as combination PET/MRI and PET/CT. The review aims to provide the journal audience with a comprehensive and in-deep understanding of chemistry policy in tumor angiogenesis imaging.

Isoforms of IDH in breast carcinoma: IDH2 as a potent prognostic factor associated with proliferation in estrogen-receptor positive cases

BACKGROUND

Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) is an important enzyme that oxidatively decarboxylates isocitrate to α-ketoglutarate, and three isoforms (IDH1-3) have been identified. Overexpression and/or downregulation of IDH isoforms was reported in several human malignancies, suggesting importance of IDH in oncogenesis. However, significance of IDH isoforms remains largely unclear in the breast carcinoma.

METHODS

We immunolocalized IDH1, IDH2 and IDH3α in 226 breast carcinomas and evaluated their clinical significance. Subsequently, we examined effects of IDH2 on proliferation in breast carcinoma cells.

RESULTS

Immunoreactivity of IDH1-3α was detected in 53%, 38% and 41% of breast carcinomas, and the non-neoplastic epithelium was IDH1-positive, IDH2-negative and IDH3α-positive. IDH1 immunoreactivity was inversely associated with pathological T factor (pT) and Ki-67 in the breast carcinoma, while IDH3α immunoreactivity was not significantly associated with clinicopathological factors. IDH2 status was positively correlated with stage, pT, histological grade, HER2, Ki-67 and microvessel density. Moreover, IDH2 status was significantly associated with worse prognosis of the patients, and it turned out an independent prognostic factor for estrogen-receptor (ER) positive patients. These findings were more evident in the IDH1-negative / IDH2-positive/IDH3α-negative subgroup which is the opposite immunohistochemical IDH phenotype of normal mammary epithelium. In vitro studies demonstrated that RNA interference of IDH2 significantly decreased proliferation activity of T47D and SKBR-3 cells.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that IDH2 is associated with an aggressive phenotype of breast carcinoma through increasing cell proliferation, different from IDH1 and IDH3α, and immunohistochemical IDH2 status is a potent prognostic factor especially in ER-positive breast cancer patients.