Abstract #1716

Intrinsic Susceptibility MRI Investigation of Acquired Resistance to EGFR Therapy in a Xenograft Model of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck.

Lauren C.J. Baker¹, Carol Box², Arti Sikka¹, Gary Box², Suzanne A. Eccles², Simon P. Robinson¹

¹Cancer Research UK and EPSRC Cancer Imaging Centre, Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom; ²Tumour Biology and Metastasis Team, Cancer Research UK Cancer Therapeutics Unit, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom

Resistance to targeted EGFR therapy in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck is poorly understood. There is an urgent need to identify patients most likely to respond to therapy, in addition to monitoring those that will develop acquired resistance. The role of non-invasive imaging biomarkers in this area is unclear. Using intrinsic susceptibility MRI, we have investigated functional vasculature and tumor oxygenation in a human tumor xenograft model of acquired resistance to EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors.