Workflow for spatial alignment of MR data and histopathological images of tumors for region-of-interest-based correlation analysis

Validation of MRI-derived tumor biomarkers require ground truth validation against histopathology, but pixel-by-pixel spatial alignment with histopathological images pose unresolved challenges. A reasonable approach is to correlate regions-of-interest from MRI with corresponding regions from histopathology. However, clinical protocols for histopathological processing of tissue sections require modifications to preserve spatial information relative to MR images. In this educational exhibit we describe a workflow, based on literature and experience, that enables region-of-interest-based spatial correlation analysis between MRI and histopathological data.