PHOSPHOLIPID METABOLITES IN H-1-DECOUPLED P-31 MRS IN-VIVO IN HUMAN CANCER - IMPLICATIONS FOR EXPERIMENTAL-MODELS AND CLINICAL-STUDIES

The use of P-31 MRS in clinical cancer research has been hampered by b oth poor anatomic localization of spectra and poor resolution of overl apping signals. We found that accurate localization using 3D chemical shift imaging and improved resolution using H-1-decoupling and nuclear Overhauser-enhancement (NOE) increased signal-to-noise and permitted resolution of separate components within phosphomonoester (PME) and ph osphodiester (PDE) regions. Fifty-three cancers of different types (ly mphoma, sarcoma, adenocarcinoma) had the following common features: (1 ) phosphoethanolamine the dominant PME; (2) glycerophospho-ethanolamin e and -choline rarely detected; (3) a broad PDE signal probably from m embrane phospholipids; and (4) prominent nucleoside triphosphates. H-1 -decoupling with NOE-enchancement permitted us to obtain new informati on about in vivo metabolism in human cancers; generate new hypotheses and help guide development of experimental models appropriate to test them; and provider a firm basis with which to examine clinical uses of P-31 MRS.