Intra-Operative Cancer Diagnosis Based on a Hyperpolarized Marker

摘要

The present invention is concerned with an in vitro method of diagnosing cancer in a tissue sample, wherein said tissue sample is obtained from a patient undergoing cancer surgery. The method described herein is based on a hyperpolarized marker, which is contacted with the tissue sample, and an NMR spectrum and/or an MR image obtained of the tissue sample after having been contacted with the hyperpolarized marker.

主权项

1. A method of diagnosing a cancer metastasis in a lymph node tissue sample, wherein said method is carried out on an excised lymph node tissue sample obtained from a patient suffering from cancer and wherein said method comprises the following steps:
a) Contacting said tissue sample with a combination of (i) a hyperpolarized metabolic marker indicating metabolically active cells and (ii) a hyperpolarized metabolic marker allowing a distinction between lymphocytes and cancer cells; b) Obtaining an NMR spectrum and/or an MR image of the metabolic products of (i) and (ii) comprised in said tissue sample; c) Determining the ratio rS of the metabolic products of (i) to the metabolic products of (ii); d) Comparing the ratio rS obtained in step c) to a reference ratio rR of the metabolic products of (i) to the metabolic products of (ii) obtained in a lymph node tissue sample consisting of healthy cells; and e) Assigning cancer to said tissue sample based on the comparison carried out in step d), wherein a difference in the ratio rS to the ratio rR indicates the presence of a cancer metastasis in said tissue sample.