Human neoplasm pH and response to radiation therapy: P-31 MR spectroscopy studies in situ.
Thirty-five human neoplasms from various sites and of various histologic types and stages were examined with phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy in situ. The tumors included 13 squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (lymph nodes), eight Hodgkin lymphomas, six non-Hodgkin lymphomas, four carcinomas of the breast, one melanoma, one sarcoma, one neuroblastoma, and one mucoepidermoid sarcoma of the salivary glands. Thirty-four of the neoplasms had normal to slightly alkaline pH before irradiation. During fractionated radiation therapy, the pH stayed in a range of from near neutral to alkaline and rose to 7.6-8.0 at several time points of radiation therapy for some tumors. These results suggest that most tumor cells in human neoplasms are well oxygenated and that only a negligible fraction are chronic hypoxic cells. The fluctuating alkaline pH during radiation therapy occurred regardless of the responsiveness of the treated tumors.
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T C
TC
MR Research Center, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH 44106.
Majors
A W
AW
Vijayakumar
S
S
Baldwin
N J
NJ
Thomas
F J
FJ
Koumoundouros
I
I
Taylor
M E
ME
Grundfest
S F
SF
Meaney
T F
TF
Tubbs
R R
RR
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage