Abstract #3378

CEST MRI as a Potential Imaging Biomarker of Mitochondrial Metabolic State of Breast Cancer

Kejia Cai¹, He N. Xu², Mohammad Haris¹, Anup Singh¹, Ravinder Reddy¹, Lin Z. Li²

¹CMROI, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; ²Dapartment of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Predicting breast tumor metastatic potential remains a challenge in cancer research and clinical practice. Previous studies indicate that tumor redox ratio heterogeneity (rim-core difference) serves as a biomarker of tumor metastatic potential. In this study, we demonstrated that CEST MRI showed tumor core-rim heterogeneity correlating with the mitochondrial redox state whereas T₁ and T₂ weighted MRI did not. CEST MRI of breast tumor metabolites (especially Glu) may be used as a potential non-invasive imaging biomarker of mitochondrial redox state for predicting breast cancer metastatic potential.