Fig. 2
Parametric maps of the AAC and changes in quantitative ultrasound parameters with different treatments. A Representative post-treatment (24-h) parametric images of AAC obtained using the SGM, overlaid on B-mode images, B Bar plots of averaged changes in AAC from SGM, C bar plots of averaged changes in AAC from FFSM, D Bar plots of averaged changes of ASD from SGM, and E Bar plots of averaged changes in ASD from FFSM from different treatment groups. A We observed increases in AAC from the combination of treatment groups: 246 kPa + 40 min, 246 kPa + 50 min, 570 kPa + 40 min, and 570 kPa + 50 min, relative to that of the control group (0 kPa + 0 min). These indicate an increase in acoustic back-scattering that reflects nuclear structure alteration as the tumour cells undergo cell death, as a result of a combination of cancer treatment: USMB-induced vascular disruption and HT. B Bar plots of changes in AAC from SGM from all treatment groups. C Bar plots of changes in AAC from FFSM from all treatment groups. The height of the bar represents the mean-value from each group. Error bars represent the standard error of the mean. Increases in AAC are apparent, particularly in the combination of treatment groups: 246 kPa + 40 min, 246 kPa + 50 min, and 570 kPa + 50 min. These changes are statistically significant (p < 0.05), as indicated by the asterisks, compared to that of the control group (0 kPa + 0 min). We used a one-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s selected comparisons test to investigate for any statistical difference between the treatment groups. D Bar plots of changes in ASD from SGM for all treatment groups. E Bar plots of changes in ASD from FFSM for all treatment groups. We observed a decreasing trend in the mean-value of ASD as a function of HT duration from the combination of treatment groups. Nonetheless, the observed trend was not statistically significant. In B, C, D, and E ΔAAC-SGM, ΔAAC-FFSM, ΔASD-SGM, and ΔASD-FFSM indicates changes in AAC and ASD parameter from the SGM and FFSM models, respectively