Novel Hypoxia Imaging for Head and Neck Cancer: Imaging Phenotype for Personalized Treatment

Tumor hypoxia is one of the physiological factors for treatment resistance and likely contributes to poor overall survival among patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). Identifying hypoxic features of HNC may allow the personalizing treatment plan. The investigators propose multiparametric Hypoxia MR (HMR) imaging using diffusion, perfusion, and oxygenation as non-invasive, in-vivo imaging components of a hypoxia phenotype. Assessing the hypoxia phenotypes' expression will be critically important for characterizing and predicting CRT response among patients with advanced HNC.

A prospective cohort study will be conducted used multiparametric MR (MPMR) imaging correlated with treatment response assessed by 3 months fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). The image analysis approach will be developed to incorporate FDG-PET and quantitative MRI characteristics of tumor (ADC, oxygen-enhanced T1 and T2\* maps, and volume transfer constant (Ktrans) to facilitate 3D visualization of multiparametric information. This proposed study's overarching goal is to develop and validate multiparametric HMR imaging using 18F - (fluoromisonidazole) FMISO-PET and immunohistochemistry (IHC) as the standard of references.