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Research progress of blood oxygenation level dependent magnetic resonance imaging in assessing tumor hypoxia
MOU Yanan  ZHANG Jing  PANG Yaxuan  SUN Shihua  YIN Liang 

Cite this article as: MOU Y N, ZHANG J, PANG Y X, et al. Research progress of blood oxygenation level dependent magnetic resonance imaging in assessing tumor hypoxia[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2025, 16(7): 215-220, 226. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.07.034.


[Abstract] Hypoxia is a critical feature of most solid tumors, which induces aggressive and therapy-resistant tumor phenotypes, leading to rapid tumor progression and poor prognosis. Therefore, accurate assessment of tumor hypoxia holds significant importance for guiding treatment decisions, predicting therapeutic outcomes, and developing targeted therapeutic interventions. Blood oxygen level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD-MRI) evaluates deoxyhemoglobin content in tissues by quantifying the effective transverse relaxation time (T2*) and effective transverse relaxation rate (R2*), thereby indirectly reflecting tumor oxygenation status. As one of the MRI functional imaging methods for assessing tumor hypoxia, it offers advantages in non-invasive comprehensive assessment of tumor oxygenation and monitoring its dynamic changes. In recent years, the emergence of quantitative BOLD-MRI (qBOLD-MRI) technology has achieved a technological leap from indirect to direct evaluation of tissue oxygenation, enabling more precise capture of tumor oxygen metabolism-related information and further expanding the application prospects of BOLD-MRI. This article comprehensively reviews research advances in quantitative assessment of tumor hypoxia by BOLD-MRI and qBOLD-MRI, explores research prospects and future directions, and aims to provide evidence for developing personalized tumor treatment strategies.
[Keywords] magnetic resonance imaging；blood oxygen level dependent magnetic resonance imaging；quantitative assessment；neoplasms；hypoxia；artificial intelligence

MOU Yanan1   ZHANG Jing1   PANG Yaxuan1   SUN Shihua1   YIN Liang2*  

1 The First Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China

2 Department of Radiology, the First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China

Corresponding author: YIN L, E-mail: yinliang_ldyy@163.com

Conflicts of interest   None.

Received  2025-05-14
Accepted  2025-07-07
DOI: 10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.07.034
Cite this article as: MOU Y N, ZHANG J, PANG Y X, et al. Research progress of blood oxygenation level dependent magnetic resonance imaging in assessing tumor hypoxia[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2025, 16(7): 215-220, 226. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.07.034.

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