Radiology, Vol 174, 141-145, Copyright © 1990 by Radiological Society of North America
Real-time follow-up of 5-fluorouracil metabolism in the liver of tumor patients by means of F-19 MR spectroscopy
W Semmler, P Bachert-Baumann, F Guckel, F Ermark, P Schlag, WJ Lorenz and G van Kaick
German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg.
Intraarterial 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy in eight patients, one
with primary and seven with secondary liver tumors, was monitored by means
of in vivo fluorine-19 magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy. F-19 MR
spectra were obtained with surface coils and included signal contributions
from both liver and tumor tissue. The time course of the relative
concentrations of 5-FU and its major catabolite, alpha-fluoro- beta-alanine
(FBAL), was followed for up to 100 minutes after the start of drug
administration. The time constants for the kinetics of 5-FU ranged from 8
to 75 minutes, whereas the time constants for FBAL were either
approximately 15 or 50 minutes. A broad peak comprising nucleoside and
nucleotide anabolites of 5-FU was detected in one patient. These
investigations demonstrate the feasibility of short-term therapy monitoring
with F-19 MR spectroscopy and that catabolites and anabolites of 5-FU can
be observed separately. However, since no F-19 MR spectroscopy localization
sequence is available at present, the contributions to the total MR signal
from normal liver and tumor tissue cannot be discriminated.
