Abstract #1520

Bezabeh T, Odlum O, Nason R, Kerr P, Sutherland D, Patel R, Smith I

The majority of head and neck tumors are squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). However, other types of tumors are also found in this region. Initial clinical presentation and standard histopathologic assessment may not help in differentiating the different types of tumors. It is essential to know if a given tumor is non-SCC since that will require special staining techniques for reliable identification and appropriate treatment strategy. 1H MRS data were acquired on tissue specimens obtained from ninety-six head and neck cancer patients (89 SCC, 7 non-SCC) and analyzed using pattern recognition methods. The non-SCC samples were found to have spectral profiles that are not characteristic of SCC.