In vivo MRI of cancer cell fate at the single-cell level in a mouse model of breast cancer metastasis to the brain

Metastasis (the spread of cancer from a primary tumor to secondary organs) is responsible for most cancer deaths. The ability to follow the fate of a population of tumor cells over time in an experimental animal would provide a powerful new way to monitor the metastatic process. Here we describe a m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Magnetic resonance in medicine 2006-11, Vol.56 (5), p.1001-1010
Main Authors: Heyn, Chris, Ronald, John A., Ramadan, Soha S., Snir, Jonatan A., Barry, Andrea M., MacKenzie, Lisa T., Mikulis, David J., Palmieri, Diane, Bronder, Julie L., Steeg, Patricia S., Yoneda, Toshiyuki, MacDonald, Ian C., Chambers, Ann F., Rutt, Brian K., Foster, Paula J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Brain Neoplasms - diagnosis
Brain Neoplasms - secondary
Breast Neoplasms - diagnosis
cancer
Cell Proliferation
cell tracking
cellular MRI
Disease Models, Animal
Female
Image Enhancement - methods
Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods
iron oxide
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods
metastasis
Mice
Mice, Nude
Neoplastic Cells, Circulating - pathology
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Summary:Metastasis (the spread of cancer from a primary tumor to secondary organs) is responsible for most cancer deaths. The ability to follow the fate of a population of tumor cells over time in an experimental animal would provide a powerful new way to monitor the metastatic process. Here we describe a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that permits the tracking of breast cancer cells in a mouse model of brain metastasis at the single‐cell level. Cancer cells that were injected into the left ventricle of the mouse heart and then delivered to the brain were detectable on MR images. This allowed the visualization of the initial delivery and distribution of cells, as well as the growth of tumors from a subset of these cells within the whole intact brain volume. The ability to follow the metastatic process from the single‐cell stage through metastatic growth, and to quantify and monitor the presence of solitary undivided cells will facilitate progress in understanding the mechanisms of brain metastasis and tumor dormancy, and the development of therapeutics to treat this disease. Magn Reson Med, 2006. Published 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
ISSN:0740-3194
1522-2594
DOI:10.1002/mrm.21029