Date of Award

Fall 2004

Document Type

Thesis - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biomedical Engineering

First Advisor

Clough, Anne V.

Second Advisor

Audi, Said H.

Third Advisor

Gordon, John B.

Abstract

Angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels, plays a significant role in the growth and metastases of tumors [Folkman, 1971; Folkman, 1985; Folkman, 1995; Gastl, 1997; Saclarides, 1997]. A well-established tumor blood supply is thought to be a necessary precursor for tumor development beyond 2-3 mm3 [McNamara, 1998]. This newly forming vasculature facilitates the delivery of nutrients and oxygen that are required for tumor growth. Numerous factors involved in the regulation of angiogenesis have been identified, including factors that act to stimulate the process as well as factors that inhibit the process [Gastl, 1997; Saclarides, 1997; McNamara, 1998; Suh, 2000; Lissbrant, 2001; Bicknell, 1996; Szabo, 1998]. Many of these inhibitory antiangiogenic factors act to suppress tumor growth and therefore provide a potential therapeutic strategy for treatment of solid tumors [Gastl, 1997]. It is believed that prostate tumors may be especially responsive to this mode of treatment due to the highly vascularized anatomy of the prostate [Lissbrant, 2001]. Current research is underway to elucidate the mechanisms of these antiangiogenic factors, thus a demand exists for the development of methods tq systematically evaluate their overall efficacy. The objectives of this study are to develop an experimental technique and mathematical model that allows for quantification of tumor blood volume from x-ray microangiographic images of prostate tumors in rats. The model will be applied to x-ray absorbance data obtained from untreated tumors and tumors treated with an antiangiogenic agent to determine how tumor growth ( or regression) correlates to the measured tumor blood volume.

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