Synopsis

In-vivo proton proton MR spectroscopy (MRS) has emerged as a non-invasive tool for diagnosis and to provide an insight into the biochemistry of breast cancer. The elevated levels of choline containing compounds (tCho) have been identified as a non-invasive biomarker for differentiating malignant and benign breast lesions. Using in-vivo quantification of absolute tCho concentration, cut-off values for the differentiation of malignant, benign and normal breast tissues were estimated. Combined use of water-to-fat ratio (W-F), tCho and lipid resonances improved the diagnostic ability of breast MRS. Monitoring of tCho and W-F ratio has been useful in predicting therapeutic response of tumor.