AUTHOR=Selnæs Kirsten Margrete , Vettukattil Riyas , Bertilsson Helena , Wright Alan J. , Heerschap Arend , Angelsen Anders , Tessem May-Britt , Bathen Tone Frost TITLE=Tissue Microstructure Is Linked to MRI Parameters and Metabolite Levels in Prostate Cancer JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology VOLUME=Volume 6 - 2016 YEAR=2016 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2016.00146 DOI=10.3389/fonc.2016.00146 ISSN=2234-943X ABSTRACT=Introduction

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can portray spatial variations in tumor heterogeneity, architecture, and its microenvironment in a non-destructive way. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between MRI parameters measured on patients in vivo, individual metabolites measured in prostatectomy tissue ex vivo, and quantitative histopathology.

Materials and methods

Fresh frozen tissue samples (n = 53 from 15 patients) were extracted from transversal prostate slices and linked to in vivo MR images, allowing spatially matching of ex vivo measured metabolites with in vivo MR parameters. Color-based segmentation of cryosections of each tissue sample was used to identify luminal space, stroma, and nuclei.

Results

Cancer samples have significantly lower area percentage of lumen and higher area percentage of nuclei than non-cancer samples (p ≤ 0.001). Apparent diffusion coefficient is significantly correlated with percentage area of lumen (ρ = 0.6, p < 0.001) and percentage area of nuclei (ρ = −0.35, p = 0.01). There is a positive correlation (ρ = 0.31, p = 0.053) between citrate and percentage area of lumen. Choline is negatively correlated with lumen (ρ = −0.38, p = 0.02) and positively correlated with percentage area of nuclei (ρ = 0.38, p = 0.02).

Conclusion

Microstructures that are observed by histopathology are linked to MR characteristics and metabolite levels observed in prostate cancer.