The IMAGIO project includes improvements in the treatment of liver cancer through radioembolization. This treatment involves injecting radioactive particles to target and destroy tumours. One way to improve this is the injection of a drug (angiotensin-2, or AT2) during treatment that can boost tumour kill. The tumour kill effect can be visualised using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging . To validate the effect of the drug, patients will receive closely followed treatments with and without the drug in a single procedure, both followed by an in-room SPECT scan. As the second SPECT also contains information of the first treatment, a subtraction needs to be performed, which is a challenging process.
The researchers compared four subtraction techniques: image subtraction, projection subtraction, projection addition, and image addition. Each method has its strengths and weaknesses, especially when it comes to noise and accuracy. The aim was to determine which method could provide the most accurate results, especially when it comes to the effect of AT2.
For tracking the impact of AT2 in liver cancer treatments, image subtraction emerged as the best choice. This technique offered the most reliable quantitative results, which is crucial for understanding how effective AT2 is in shrinking tumours. While it produced noisy images, its ability to accurately measure the changes in tumour size made it the preferred method for this study. On the other hand, image addition was better for situations where visual clarity is the main concern, like identifying tumours. However, it was not as reliable for quantifying the changes that are needed for precise treatment planning. This study shows that using advanced imaging techniques can improve how we measure the effects of liver cancer treatments, but there still remain certain limitations as the lab results can differ from real-life settings. As research into AT2 and radioembolization continues, these imaging techniques will play an important role in refining cancer treatments and providing doctors with the information they need to make informed decisions for their patients.
Read the complete research paper here.