Final Report Summary - CU-ANGIO (Prostate cancer localization by contrast-ultrasound angiogenesis imaging)
Prostate cancer diagnosis requires nowadays invasive systematic biopsies. Multiparametric MRI is believed to represent a valuable noninvasive alternative, but its use is hampered by high cost and limited availability. This project has introduced a new noninvasive and cost-effective method based on contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. By this method, the concentration of ultrasound contrast agents is analyzed both in time and space in order to assess their intravascular dispersion, which reflects the underlying microvascular architecture. Changes in the microvascular architecture are induced by angiogenesis, which is associated with the growth of prostate cancer and, in general, of most solid tumors, including breast, ovary, thyroid, liver, and pancreas. Therefore, the project results can be re-used for accurate imaging and diagnosis of most types of cancer by the developed contrast ultrasound dispersion imaging (CUDI). In the prostate, biopsies targeted by CUDI have shown the same detection rate as biopsies targeted by costly multiparametric MRI. Molecular imaging by quantification of the binding kinetics of targeted ultrasound contrast agents has also been accomplished, providing an additional biomarker for the detection of angiogenesis and cancer, as well as for the prediction of the response to anti-angiogenic therapy.