Imaging biomarkers of angiogenesis and the microvascular environment in cerebral tumours.
Br J Radiol
; 84 Spec No 2: S127-44, 2011 Dec.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-22433824
ABSTRACT
Conventional contrast-enhanced CT and MRI are now in routine clinical use for the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of diseases in the brain. The presence of contrast enhancement is a proxy for the pathological changes that occur in the normally highly regulated brain vasculature and blood-brain barrier. With recognition of the limitations of these techniques, and a greater appreciation for the nuanced mechanisms of microvascular change in a variety of pathological processes, novel techniques are under investigation for their utility in further interrogating the microvasculature of the brain. This is particularly important in tumours, where the reliance on angiogenesis (new vessel formation) is crucial for tumour growth, and the resulting microvascular configuration and derangement has profound implications for diagnosis, treatment and monitoring. In addition, novel therapeutic approaches that seek to directly modify the microvasculature require more sensitive and specific biological markers of baseline tumour behaviour and response. The currently used imaging biomarkers of angiogenesis and brain tumour microvascular environment are reviewed.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Brain Mapping
/
Brain Neoplasms
/
Diagnostic Imaging
/
Biomarkers, Tumor
/
Microvessels
/
Neovascularization, Pathologic
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
Limits:
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Br J Radiol
Year:
2011
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: