Meeting Banner
Abstract #0448

Noninvasive Investigation of the Viscoelastic Properties of Intracranial Tumours with Magnetic Resonance Elastography

Yann Jamin1, Jessica K.R. Boult1, Jin Li1, Craig Cummings1, Jeffrey C. Bamber1, Ralph Sinkus2, Simon P. Robinson1

1Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom; 2INSERM U773, CRB3,, Centre de Recherche Biomdicale Bichat-Beaujon, Paris, France


Increased tissue rigidity is associated with a more invasive tumour phenotype. Non-invasive imaging biomarkers of mechanical properties of tumours can improve the diagnosis and staging of malignancies, and facilitate and accelerate the development of novel anti-cancer therapeutics. Innovative techniques such as magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) afford non-invasive biomarkers of the mechanical or visco-elastic properties of tissue in vivo. The visco-elastic properties of U87, RG2 and MDA-MB-231 tumours propagated intracranially in mouse brain were quantified using MRE, and interestingly revealed that all three tumours were softer than residual brain.