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Updated: Dec 11, 2025
Hyperpolarized 13C Metabolic Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Imaging
Published on: December 30, 2016
Hyperpolarized 13C MRI of Tumor Metabolism Demonstrates Early Metabolic Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in
Ramona Woitek1, Mary A McLean1, Andrew B Gill1
1Departments of Radiology (R.W., A.B.G., J.T.G., A.J.P., S.U., F.Z., M.L., M.C.L., S.H., A.F., L.B., L.R., E.S., M.J.G., F.J.G., F.A.G.), Oncology (J.K., H.B., E.H., B.B., R.B., J.E.A., C.C.), and Biochemistry (K.M.B.), the Cambridge Breast Cancer Research Unit (E.P., J.K., H.B., E.H., R.B., J.E.A., C.C.), University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England; Departments of Radiology (A.J.P., I.P., R.S., M.J.G., F.J.G., F.A.G.) and Histopathology (E.P.), Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, England; Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre, Cambridge, England (R.W., M.A.M., E.P., T.T., L.B., L.R., E.S., J.E.A., C.C., K.M.B., F.A.G.); Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, Vienna 1090, Austria (R.W., L.B.); Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, England (M.A.M., T.T., C.C., K.M.B.); and RAPID Biomedical, Rimpar, Germany (T.L.).
Purpose:
To compare hyperpolarized carbon 13 (13C) MRI with dynamic contrast material-enhanced (DCE) MRI in the detection of early treatment response in breast cancer.
Materials And Methods:
In this institutional review board-approved prospective study, a woman with triple-negative breast cancer (age, 49 years) underwent 13C MRI after injection of hyperpolarized [1-carbon 13 {13C}]-pyruvate and DCE MRI at 3 T at baseline and after one cycle of neoadjuvant therapy. The 13C-labeled lactate-to-pyruvate ratio derived from hyperpolarized 13C MRI and the pharmacokinetic parameters transfer constant (K trans) and washout parameter (k ep) derived from DCE MRI were compared before and after treatment.
Results:
Exchange of the 13C label between injected hyperpolarized [1-13C]-pyruvate and the endogenous lactate pool was observed, catalyzed by the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase. After one cycle of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, a 34% reduction in the 13C-labeled lactate-to-pyruvate ratio resulted in correct identification of the patient as a responder to therapy, which was subsequently confirmed via a complete pathologic response. However, DCE MRI showed an increase in mean K trans (132%) and mean k ep (31%), which could be incorrectly interpreted as a poor response to treatment.
Conclusion:
Hyperpolarized 13C MRI enabled successful identification of breast cancer response after one cycle of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and may improve response prediction when used in conjunction with multiparametric proton MRI.Published under a CC BY 4.0 license.
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