A new functional imaging technique for the early functional evaluation of antiangiogenic treatment: Dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (DCE-US)

Dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (DCE-US) using a second-generation contrast agent and perfusion software is a new technique enabling a quantitative assessment of solid tumor perfusion using raw linear data. Clinical trials have shown that it can be used to assess the anticancer efficacy of antiangiogenesis treatment, for which conventional, size-based efficacy criteria are unsuitable. Reduction in tumor vascularization can easily be detected in responders after 1 or 2 weeks and is correlated with progression-free survival and overall survival. DCE-US is supported by the French National Cancer Institute (INCa), which is currently studying the technique in metastatic breast cancer, melanoma, colon cancer, gastrointestinal stromal tumors and renal cell carcinoma, as well as in primary hepatocellular carcinoma, to establish the optimal perfusion parameters and timing for quantitative anticancer efficacy assessments.