Vicky J. Goh1, N. Jane Taylor1, Aftab Khan, J James Stirling1, Ian C. Simcock1, Robert Kozarski2, Robert Glynne-Jones, James A. d'Arcy3, David J. Collins3, Anwar R. Padhani1
1Paul Strickland Scanner Centre, Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, Middlesex HA6 2RN, United Kingdom; 2University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom; 3CRUK-EPSRC Cancer Imaging Centre, Institute of Cancer Research & Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT, United Kingdom
The aim of this study was to assess the reproducibility of R2* and sequential changes following chemoradiation therapy (CRT), in relation to perfusion changes shown by dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI). 14 patients underwent ISW-MRI and 3D DCE-MRI at 1.5T, pre- and up to 11 weeks post- chemoradiation. Cohort R2* increases post-CRT, corresponding to decreases in IAUGC60 and Ktrans. This, accompanied by loss of the baseline correlation between R2* and Ktrans suggests that colorectal tumors are made hypoxic by chemoradiotherapy. These results have implications with regard to the optimal timing of surgery following the completion of therapy.
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