Application of in vivo NMR spectroscopy to cancer

A critical review is presented of NMR spectroscopic studies of isolated tumor cells, excised tumors, and in vivo tumors. Although the majority of the studies examined deal with 31P NMR spectroscopy, the potential utility of multinuclear NMR investigations is emphasized. A major theme of this review is the evaluation of the potential applications of in vivo NMR spectroscopy to experimental tumor biology and to the clinical diagnosis and management of cancer. Data are presented demonstrating that this method may prove useful in distinguishing between relatively well vascularized aerobic tumors and poorly vascularized hypoxic tumors. This could provide a basis for identifying tumors responsive to X radiation or hyperthermia. Preliminary experiments point to the possibility that in vivo NMR spectroscopy will be capable of detecting tumor response to chemotherapy, X radiation, and hyperthermia and may also detect drug-induced toxicity to tissues vital to the survival of the host.