Abstract #2875

Corum C, Kruse J, McIntosh A, Styczynski A, Powell N, Bolan P, Nelson M, Emory T, Yee D, Tuttle T, Garwood M, Everson L

We report initial results with single voxel spectroscopy using diffusion weighting and LASER localization in breast tumors to measure the apparent diffusion coefficient of water. This is a quick, easy to implement method compared to image-based diffusion measurements. The apparent diffusion coefficient was compared to core biopsy pathology in 15 patients. The difference of the means of the benign and malignant groups is significant. The apparent diffusion coefficient was also compared to single voxel measurement of choline-containing compounds. A significant correlation was found, suggesting that single voxel apparent diffusion coefficient measurement may be useful as a marker for chemotherapy response.