Image Processing Method for 3D Volume Rendering from One 2D Projection: Application to Cancer Spheroids

Shape and volume are two of the most important features of a tumour. In particular, the treatment choices of a tumour are often driven by its volume. Accordingly, the correct estimation of the volume is fundamental to assess the effectiveness of therapy. Very few methods have been proposed in the literature to accurately estimate the tumour’s volume arising from one 2D projection and even less provide a 3D reconstruction of the tumour shape, that is important for the clinical evaluation. In this work, we address the morphology of tumour spheroids typically employed for testing drugs, chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments in pre-clinical studies. In particular, we propose a new 3D volume rendering method based on the assumption of spherical symmetry of the object around the principal axis. By using real-world, home-made 3D models, mimicking the spheroid morphology, we proved the effectiveness of our method for both 3D reconstruction and volume assessment.