Multimodal Assessment of In Vivo Metabolism with Hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]MR Spectroscopy and ¹⁸F-FDG PET Imaging in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Tumor–Bearing Rats

Abstract

This study reveals that PET and (13)C MRSI can be used to visualize increased glycolytic flux in malignant tissue. The combination of signals will allow the quantitative dissection of substrate metabolism, with respect to uptake and downstream metabolic pathways. Although hyperpolarized [1-(13)C]pyruvate increases the sensitivity of MR imaging, signal-to-noise ratio constraints still apply for spatially and temporally resolved (13)C MRSI, emphasizing the need for further MR methodologic development. These first imaging data suggest the feasibility of (13)C MRSI for future clinical use.