Abstract 3585: Probing the relationship between renal carcinoma perfusion, hypoxia, and metabolism during response to VEGFR inhibition and at resistance
Authors: Dou Qianhui , de Souza Patricia Coutinho , Wang Xiaoen , Grant Aaron K. , Tsai Leo L. 
Published: June 2023

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common primary kidney cancer. VEGF-receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors remain a second-line or concurrent (with immunotherapy) treatment option for advanced RCC, but resistance inevitably occurs. There remains a need for biomarkers predictive of response to VEGFR targeting. Anti-VEGFR therapy-induced hypoxia can result in changes to both tumor metabolism and vascularization that contribute to the aggressiveness of treatment-resistant tumors. In this study we used in vivo hyperpolarized 13C-tert-butanol, a freely-diffusible novel MRI tracer that provides high-SNR tissue perfusion mapping, and hyperpolarized 13C pyruvate MRI, which enables real-time investigation of glycolytic lactate production, to understand the evolution of RCC perfusion and metabolism in response to VEGFR targeting, while correlating to histologic measures of tumor proliferation (Ki67) and vascularization (CD34). A498, a human ccRCC cell line, was implanted subcutaneously into 12-week-old nude mice. When tumors reached 15mm, the mice were placed into three arms, untreated (UT), sunitinib sensitive (SS), and sunitinib resistant (SR). SS mice were treated with sunitinib (25 mg/kg via gavage) then the mice were imaged with MRI at 48 hours. SR mice were treated with sunitinib daily until 2mm of re-growth was detected, then MRI was performed. UT mice were imaged when tumors reached 20mm. Pimonidazole infusion immediately after MRI, then the tumors were harvested. Histology included Ki67, CD34, and pimonidazole (hypoxia) staining. Ki67 expression was greater in the UT group compared to SS (37.56±5.21 vs 26.23±3.78, p=0.004), but not compared to SR (37.56±5.21 vs 34.32±1.12, p=0.93). The UT group demonstrated greater vascularization with CD-34 vessel counting than SS (UT 6.70±1.81 vs. SS 2.39±1.16, p=0.002), while vascularization was increased in SR compared to SS (SR 3.82±1.81 vs SS 2.39±1.16, p=0.05). Ki67 expression was positively correlated with CD34 expression. MR-measured tumor perfusion of the SS group was greater than UT (0.0086±0.0056 vs 0.0035±0.0026, p=0.0001) and SR (0.0086±0.0056 vs 0.0043±0.0033, p=0.0003). Tumor lactate production in the SS group was lower than UT (0.752±0.268 vs 0.609±0.188, p=0.04) and SR (0.752±0.268 vs 0.593±0.246, p=0.006). However, tumor perfusion was negatively correlated with lactate production ratio only in the SR group. Untreated and sunitinib-resistent RCC tumors are associated with increased perfusion and vascularity, and decreased lactate production. An inverse relationship between lactate production and perfusion in SR may be attributable to vascular normalization. Analysis of the spatial relationship between tumor metabolism and perfusion will further yield additional detail on the interplay between hypoxia and metabolism.

Citation Format: Qianhui Dou, Patricia Coutinho de Souza, Xiaoen Wang, Aaron K. Grant, Leo L. Tsai. Probing the relationship between renal carcinoma perfusion, hypoxia, and metabolism during response to VEGFR inhibition and at resistance. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 3585.