Abstract #3177

Evaluation of Human Brain Metastases Using Molecular MRI Based on Endogenous Protein-Based Amide Proton Transfer (APT) Signals

Silun Wang¹, Zhibo Wen², Jing Gu¹, Ge Zhang², Xianlong Wang², Fanheng Huang², Peter C.M. van Zijl¹,³, Jinyuan Zhou¹,⁴

¹Departments of Radiology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States; ²Department of Radiology, Zhujiang Hospital,, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; ³F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute , Baltimore, MD, United States; ⁴F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States

We explored the imaging features of brain metastases using APT imaging of endogenous mobile proteins and peptides at 3 Tesla. Results showed that the metastasis tumor core had significantly higher APT signal intensities, compared to adjacent peritumoral edema and normal-appearing white matter. Metastases from small cell lung cancer had significantly lower APT signal intensities than those of lung adenocarcinoma and other adenocarcinomas. APT imaging provides additional diagnostic information to characterize brain metastases non-invasively.