Leo L. Cheng1, Elita DeFeo, Yannick Berker,
Elena Brachtel
1Radiology/Pathology, Massachusetts
General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States
Research
and technology has lead to an increase of early breast cancer detections,
however there are still some controversies involving disease management. Traditional mastectomy followed by
chemotherapy and radiotherapy is no longer standard protocol. Using HRMAS we have shown that metabolomic
spectra from various pathological features can provide enough information to
distinguish between cancerous vs. benign tissue, and tumor type and
grade. We hope to use these findings
to design new MRS paradigms aimed at non-invasive diagnosis, characterization
and monitoring of breast tumors that will optimize patient survival and
comfort, while reducing healthcare costs.