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Abstract #0617

Glycerolphosphocholine Is the Predominant Choline-Containing Compound and Is Correlated with Proliferation in Non-Enhancing Astrocytoma

Tracy Richmond McKnight1, Kenneth James Smith1, Susan Chang2, Mitchel Berger2

1Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States; 2Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA


We performed 1D HRMAS and 2D TOCSY MR spectroscopy on a cohort of biopsies from high and low grade non-contrast-enhancing astrocytoma. We quantified PC, GPC, free Cho, and the GPC:PC concentration ratio as well as cell proliferation and cell density. Our results show that GPC is the predominant choline-containing compound in non-enhancing astrocytoma irrespective of grade and that there is a positive association between Ki-67, tCho, and GPC, but not PC. These results suggest that the presence of contrast-enhancement influences choline metabolism in astrocytoma.