Influence of brain tumors on the MR spectra of healthy brain tissue

• Published in: Magnetic resonance in medicine Vol. 65; no. 1; pp. 18 - 27
• Main Authors: Busch, M., Liebenrodt, K., Gottfried, S., Weiland, E., Vollmann, W., Mateiescu, S., Winter, S., Lange, S., Sahinbas, H., Baier, J., van Leeuwen, P., Grönemeyer, D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.01.2011; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Aspartic Acid - analogs & derivatives; Aspartic Acid - analysis; Biomarkers, Tumor - analysis; Brain - metabolism; brain biochemistry; Brain Neoplasms - metabolism; Brain tumors; Data processing; Differentiation; Female; glioblastoma; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy - methods; Male; Metabolites; Middle Aged; MR-spectroscopy; N- double prime Acetylaspartate; N-Acetylaspartate; N.M.R; Nerve Fibers, Myelinated - metabolism; Protons; relaxation times; Substantia alba
• ISSN: 0740-3194; 1522-2594; 1522-2594
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.22612

The neurochemical environment of nontumorous white matter tissue was investigated in 135 single voxel spectra of “healthy” white matter regions of 43 tumor patients and 129 spectra of 52 healthy subjects. Spectra were acquired with short TE and TR values. With the data of tumor patients, it was examined whether differences were caused by the tumor itself or aggressive tumor therapies as confounding factors. Comparing the spectra of both classes, an excellent differentiation was possible based on the metabolite peak of N‐acetylaspartate (P ≈ 0) and myoinositol (P < 0.03). The area under curve of the receiver operating characteristic was calculated as 0.86 and 0.62, respectively. With linear discriminant analysis using combinations of integrals, a prediction was possible, whether a spectrum belonged to the patient or the healthy subject class with an overall accuracy above 80%. The confounding factors could be ruled out as source of the differences. The results show strong evidence for an influence of malignant growth on the biochemical environment of nontumorous white matter tissue. Because of the T1 weighting, the measured differences between both classes were most likely concentration changes interfered by T1 effects. The underlying processes will be subject of future studies. Magn Reson Med, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.