Levels of choline‐containing compounds in normal liver and liver metastases of colorectal cancer as recorded by 1H MRS

• Published in: NMR in biomedicine 2019-01, Vol.32 (1), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Voert, Edwin E.G.W., Heijmen, Linda, Asten, Jack J.A., Wright, Alan J., Nagtegaal, Iris D., Punt, Cornelis J.A., Wilt, Johannes H.W., Laarhoven, Hanneke W.M., Heerschap, Arend
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological products; Cancer; Choline; Colorectal cancer; Colorectal carcinoma; Diffusion coefficient; Gangrene; human; Lesions; Liver; Liver cancer; Metastases; Metastasis; MRS; Necrosis; Reproducibility; Spectra; Tissues; Tumors; Weight
• ISSN: 0952-3480; 1099-1492
• DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4035

Purpose A relatively high signal for choline‐containing compounds (total choline, tCho) is commonly found in 1H MR spectra of malignant tumors, but it is unclear if this also occurs in tumors in the liver. We evaluated the potential of the tCho signal in single voxel 1H MR spectra of the human liver to assess metastases of colorectal cancers. Experiment MR spectra of an 8 cm3 PRESS‐localized voxel were obtained at 3 T from the livers of 12 healthy volunteers and from metastatic lesions in 20 patients in two different sessions. To correct for motion artifacts, sequentially recorded spectra were individually phased and frequency aligned before averaging. Spectra were analyzed using LCModel and tissue levels estimated by water referencing. Repeatability was assessed with Bland–Altman analyses. To estimate tumor necrosis, diffusion‐weighted imaging of the liver was performed. High resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) spectra of tumor and normal liver samples were obtained at 11.7 T. Results With increasing tumor volumes, tCho levels decreased, indicating a partial volume effect. Mean tCho content in tumors larger than the PRESS voxel (>8 cm3) was significantly lower (p