Hypoxia is a condition that occurs due to an inadequate supply of oxygen and can have a major influence on solid tumor development and resistance to treatment. The tumor microenvironment can also have an impact on the aggression of a tumor and its correlation with underlying treatment resistance.
Microenvironment biomarkers like tumor pH, hypoxia, and angiogenesis have been associated with cancer aggression and patient outcomes. PET can have a huge impact on the diagnosis, treatment orientation, and subsequent management of tumors as it can provide complementary information regarding tumor metabolic properties, particularly when performed simultaneously with advanced MRI techniques.
Breast cancer, well-known for its significant intratumoral heterogeneity, arises from the diverse selective pressures exerted by the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. A detailed analysis of the physiological variations caused by hypoxia in different breast cancer subtypes, performed using simultaneous multiparametric PET/MRI imaging, has the potential to significantly improve both the diagnosis and treatment plan in clinical practice.
The goal of this webinar is to tackle the difficulties associated with developing MRI protocols that incorporate various imaging techniques. Specifically, Bruker will address a) the application of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) and intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) MRI for assessing intratumoral vascularization, b) the use of hyperoxic blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) MRI for quantifying oxygen delivery, and c) the role of [18F]FMISO PET in identifying hypoxic tumor regions.
Finally, Bruker will illustrate how combining simultaneous multiparametric PET/MRI imaging can reveal spatially defined and physiologically distinct intratumoral niches within the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. This advanced characterization provides new insights into breast cancer and identifies potential novel targets for therapy.
When?
- September 26, 2024, | 04:00 PM CEST
What to Expect
In this webinar, Dr. Silvester J. Bartsch will delve into PET/MRI procedures and the challenges associated with establishing protocols that integrate various imaging techniques, such as DCE and intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) MRI for assessing intratumoral vascularization, hyperoxic BOLD MRI for quantifying oxygen delivery, and [18F]FMISO PET – all in the context of a preclinical breast cancer model.
Essential Learning Objectives
- Simultaneous PET/MRI characterization of hypoxic breast cancer tumor microenvironment
- Intratumoral vascularization
- DCE & BOLD MRI & [18F]FMISO PET
Who Should Attend?
This webinar is ideal for a vast biomedical audience, especially those with an interest in medical imaging. All in all, it will be relevant to clinicians, researchers, Ph.D. students, postdocs, and laboratory technicians who use imaging techniques within their work.
About the Speaker
Silvester J. Bartsch, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Silvester J. Bartsch studied evolutionary biology at the Department of Theoretical Biology, University of Vienna, before undertaking his Ph.D. project at the Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy at the Medical University of Vienna.
Currently, his research focuses on the characterization of niches within the hypoxic tumor microenvironment of breast cancer using simultaneous multiparametric PET/MR imaging. In this context, he combines [18F]FDG and [18F]FMISO PET with multiparametric MRI (diffusion-weighted MRI, blood oxygen level dependent MRI, glucose-enhanced CEST-MRI, dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI) to characterize the hypoxia-induced reprogramming of glucose metabolism, as well as the induction of angiogenesis, which are crucial hallmarks in the progression of breast cancer.