Biomechanical tumor hallmarks for the clinical diagnosis of glioma by high-resolution multifrequency MR elastography

Motivation: Previous studies using MR Elastography (MRE) have suggested that gliomas exhibit reduced stiffness and viscosity. However, the interplay between micromechanical tumor changes that determine the macroscopic mechanical properties measured by MRE remains unclear. Goal(s): This study aims to investigate the relationship between viscoelastic parameters measured MRE in-vivo and histopathologically quantified parameters in glioma. Approach: High-resolution multifrequency MRE with quantified histopathology was prospectively performed in 23 patients with glioma. Results: Stiffness and viscosity in gliomas are associated with increased cell elongation, micro-vessel density, and apoptotic rate suggesting unjamming, neovascularization and cell proliferation as biomechanically sensitive tumor hallmarks for clinical diagnosis. Impact: In this study, we demonstrated that viscoelastic parameters, quantified by MR Elastography, provide insights into cell mobility, cellularity, mitotic and apoptotic rates, as well as vascularization of gliomas in-vivo. This technique holds promise for future clinical diagnosis of neurotumors.