Joris Tchouala Nofiele1,
2, Gregory J. Czarnota, 23, Hai-Ling Margaret Cheng1,
2
1The
Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 2Medical
Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 3Sunnybrook
Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Early detection of metastatic potential is a crucial step in the treatment of breast cancer. Determining the aggressiveness and potential of breast cancer to metastasize is critical to selecting the most appropriate treatment before the cancer has spread. This study proposes that the metastatic potential of breast cancer cells can be determined based on cellular uptake of manganese. In-vitro quantitative MRI and elemental analysis show that very metastatic (e.g. MDA-MB-231) and less aggressive (e.g. MCF7) cancer cells are clearly distinguished. This new cellular imaging technique provides a much needed non-invasive capability for early determination of tumor cell aggressiveness.