Surrogate imaging of micrometastases in sentinel lymph nodes based on immune reactions

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K15587
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Radiation science
• Research Institution: National Cancer Center Japan
• Principal Investigator: FUJII HIROFUMI 国立研究開発法人国立がん研究センター, 先端医療開発センター, 分野長 (80218982)
• Research Collaborator: Ohnuki Kazunobu
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: センチネルリンパ節 / 画像診断 / 免疫応答 / 低侵襲 / 転移モデル / 胚中心 / 微小転移

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We investigated methods to in vivo visualize micrometastases in sentinel lymph nodes (SNs) by observing immune reactions in non-tumor areas of SNs. This indirect visualization method would be “surrogate imaging” in the diagnosis of metastatic status of SNs. Our non-clinical experiments with mouse models injected tumor cells in their foot pads demonstrated that lymph follicles and germinal centers, which were composed of B lymphocytes, increased before the appearance of metastatic foci in SNs. High magnetic field MR imaging tests had a potential to visualize these interiors of SNs.

Free Research Field

放射線医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

センチネルリンパ節内の微小転移病巣をインビボで可視化することができれば、センチネルリンパ節生検を省略して、所属リンパ節の転移状態を知ることが可能となり、究極の低侵襲がん治療が実現する。がん患者は生検の負担がなくなり、術者は生検の手間を省くことができ、術中病理迅速診断の待ち時間がなくなり手術時間の短縮につながる。こうした手術法の簡素化は、医療資源の節約となり、医療削減にもつながるため、社会的にも意義深いものと考えられる。