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Magnetic Resonance Imaging Defines Cervicovaginal Anatomy, Cancer, and VEGF Trap Antiangiogenic Efficacy in Estrogen-Treated K14-HPV16 Transgenic Mice

Departments of ¹ Radiology, ² Urology, and ³ Chemistry and ⁴ Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri

Requests for reprints: Joel R. Garbow, Washington University, Campus Box 8227, 4525 Scott Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110. Phone: 314-362-9949; Fax: 314-362-0526; E-mail: garbow{at}wustl.edu.

Key Words: DCE-MRI • cervix • K14-HPV16 • angiogenesis • dysplasia

Noninvasive detection of dysplasia provides a potential platform for monitoring the efficacy of chemopreventive therapy of premalignancy, imaging the tissue compartments comprising dysplasia: epithelium, microvasculature, and stromal inflammatory cells. Here, using respiratory-gated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the anatomy of premalignant and malignant stages of cervical carcinogenesis in estrogen-treated K14-HPV16 transgenic mice was noninvasively defined. Dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE)-MRI was used to quantify leakage across premalignant dysplastic microvasculature. Vascular permeability as measured by DCE-MRI, K^trans, was similar in transgenic (0.053 ± 0.020 min^–1; n = 32 mice) and nontransgenic (0.056 ± 0.029 min^–1; n = 17 mice) animals despite a 2-fold increase in microvascular area in the former compared with the latter. DCE-MRI did detect a significant decrease in vascular permeability accompanying diminution of dysplastic microvasculature by the antiangiogenic agent, vascular endothelial growth factor Trap (K^trans = 0.052 ± 0.013 min^–1 pretreatment; n = 6 mice versus K^trans = 0.019 ± 0.008 min^–1 post-treatment; n = 5 mice). Thus, we determined that the threshold of microvessel leakage associated with cervical dysplasia was <17 kDa and highlighted the potential of DCE-MRI to noninvasively monitor the efficacy of antiangiogenic drugs or chemoprevention regimens targeting the vasculature in premalignant cervical dysplasia. [Cancer Res 2009;69(20):7945–52]