Role of MRI and in vivo MR Spectroscopy (MRS) in Cancer Research

Abstract : The most common malignancies that affect women and men are the breast and prostate cancers, respectively. These are the leading causes of cancer related deaths worldwide. There are several challenges in detection, localization and staging of cancer using the existing diagnostic methods. This has prompted researchers to evaluate the role of various MR methodologies in a large cohort of breast and prostate cancer patients. The suspicious areas of malignancy can be identified using routine MRI, diffusion MRI, MR spectroscopy (MRS) and MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI). The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) determined through diffusion MRI and the concentration of metabolites determined through in vivo MRS were found to be potential markers for the differentiation of normal, benign and malignant breast and prostate tissues. These methods are also shown to have a greater role for assessing the tumor response to therapy. Further, TRUS-guided biopsy performed on suspicious areas identified as malignant from MRSI increases the detection rate of prostate cancer in men and demonstrates the potential of MR in routine clinical practice. In this talk, an overview of the potential of MRI and in-vivo MRS in breast and prostate cancers and our experience in AIIMS for the past two decades will be highlighted.