Weiguo Li1, Zhuoli Zhang1, Jodi Nicolai1, Guang-Yu Yang2, Reed Omary1, Andrew Larson1
1Radiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States; 2Pathology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
Magnetization transfer (MT) MRI measurements were performed in 3 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) mouse xenograft models. For each of 28 PDAC xenografts, magnetization transfer ratios (MTR) were calculated and compared to histologic fibrosis levels from reference standard trichrome staining. MTR measurements were well correlated to quantitative fibrosis levels (r = 0.69, P = 0.01). Results indicated that MTR measurements offer the potential to serve as a valuable in vivo biomarker of desmoplasia in PDAC.