"By performing MR spectroscopy of the suspicious lesion after an MRI scan, we can noninvasively see which tumors show elevated choline levels and are likely malignant," Dr. Bartella said. "This chemical information added to the information provided by MRI can eliminate the need for biopsy to find out what the lesion is made of."

Dr. Bartella hopes that in the future, MR spectroscopy will be incorporated into routine diagnostic breast MRI procedures, significantly decreasing the need for needle biopsies.


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Journal attribution:

Radiology is a monthly scientific journal devoted to clinical radiology and allied sciences. The journal is edited by Anthony V. Proto, M.D., School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va. Radiology is owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. (RSNA.org/radiologyjnl)

The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) is an association of more than 40,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists committed to promoting excellence in radiology through education and by fostering research, with the ultimate goal of improving patient care. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)

"Enhancing Nonmass Lesions in the Breast: Evaluation with Proton (1H) MR Spectroscopy." Co-authors of the paper are Sunitha B. Thakur, Ph.D., Elizabeth A. Morris, M.D., D. David Dershaw, M.D., Wei Huang, Ph.D., Eugenia Chough, B.A., Maria C. Cruz, B.A., and Laura Liberman, M.D.

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