Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in oncology: the fingerprints of cancer?

Abstract

Abnormal metabolism is a key tumor hallmark. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) allows measurement of metabolite concentration that can be utilized to characterize tumor metabolic changes. H-MRS measurements of specific metabolites have been implemented in the clinic. This article performs a systematic review of image acquisition and interpretation of 1H-MRS for cancer evaluation, evaluates its strengths and limitations, and correlates metabolite peaks at 1H-MRS with diagnostic and prognostic parameters of cancer in different tumor types.