Imaging tumor variation in response to photodynamic therapy in pancreatic cancer xenograft models

Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2010 Jan 1;76(1):251-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2009.08.041.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: A treatment monitoring study investigated the differential effects of orthotopic pancreatic cancer models in response to interstitial photodynamic therapy (PDT), and the validity of using magnetic resonance imaging as a surrogate measure of response was assessed.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: Different orthotopic pancreatic cancer xenograft models (AsPC-1 and Panc-1) were used to represent the range of pathophysiology observed in human beings. Identical dose escalation studies (10, 20, and 40J/cm) using interstitial verteporfin PDT were performed, and magnetic resonance imaging with T2-weighted and T1-weighted contrast were used to monitor the total tumor volume and the vascular perfusion volume, respectively.

RESULTS: There was a significant amount of necrosis in the slower-growing Panc-1 tumor using high light dose, although complete necrosis was not observed. Lower doses were required for the same level of tumor kill in the faster-growing AsPC-1 cell line.

CONCLUSIONS: The tumor growth rate and vascular pattern of the tumor affect the optimal PDT treatment regimen, with faster-growing tumors being relatively easier to treat. This highlights the fact that therapy in human beings shows a heterogeneous range of outcomes, and suggests a need for careful individualized treatment outcomes assessment in clinical work.

PMID:20005458 | PMC:PMC2902770 | DOI:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2009.08.041