Differentiating lung cancer and infection based on measurements of extracellular pH with acidoCEST MRI

Sci Rep. 2019 Sep 10;9(1):13002. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-49514-1.

Abstract

Lung cancer diagnosis via imaging may be confounded by the presence of indolent infectious nodules in imaging studies. This issue is pervasive in the southwestern US where coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) is endemic. AcidoCEST MRI is a noninvasive imaging method that quantifies the extracellular pH (pHe) of tissues in vivo, allowing tumor acidosis to be used as a diagnostic biomarker. Using murine models of lung adenocarcinoma and coccidoidomycosis, we found that average lesion pHe differed significantly between tumors and granulomas. Our study shows that acidoCEST MRI is a promising tool for improving the specificity of lung cancer diagnosis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Acidosis / physiopathology*
  • Adenocarcinoma of Lung / diagnosis*
  • Animals
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Extracellular Space / chemistry
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Lung Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Reproductive Tract Infections / diagnosis*