Intratumor hemodynamics using contrast-enhanced MRI in intra-arterial chemotherapy for head and neck cancers

Intra-arterial chemotherapy (IACT) has long been used to treat head and neck cancer and has recently garnered attention owing to its superior therapeutic results [1,2]. The therapeutic effects of IACT are related to the ability of the administered agent to cover the entire tumor. Computed tomography (CT) has been used to determine if the agent covers the lesion. However, metallic artifacts are common in CT images of the head and neck area, which can make the tumor invisible. To solve this problem, the authors of a previous study developed a method to confirm the area of the contrast agent perfusion by administering a small amount of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent through a catheter and into an artery, which was then measured; the authors called this method ‘magnetic resonance flow check’ (MRFC) [3].

Source: Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontics - November 26, 2021 Category: ENT & OMF Authors: Shintaro Ito, Nobukazu Fuwa, Miwako Nomura, Takashi Daimon, Suguru Ota, Takayuki Morishima, Noriko Ii, Tosiaki Miyati Source Type: research