Hyperpolarized (13)C magnetic resonance imaging, using metabolic imaging to improve the detection and management of prostate, bladder, and kidney urologic malignancies

Approximately 25% of the 2 million new cancer diagnoses in the United States in 2018 were comprised of malignancies of the urogenital system. Of these cancers, 75% occurred in the kidney/renal pelvis, prostate, and urinary bladder. Early diagnosis is beneficial to long-term survival. Currently, urologists rely heavily on computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound (US), and positron emission tomography (PET) to both diagnose and offer prognoses, but these techniques are limited in their resolution and are more effective when cancers have reached macroscopic size in later stages. Recent developments in cancer metabolomics have revealed that cancerous cells preferentially upregulate specific metabolic pathways as a means of conserving their resources and maximizing their growth potential. This has opened a new avenue for early diagnosis with much higher resolution, reliability, and accuracy through (13)C hyperpolarized MRI. Preferential cancer pathways can be elucidated through this technique using (13)C-labeled molecules utilized for energy generation and tumor growth. As these pathways are identified, targeted therapies are being designed to inhibit these pathways to allow for treatment that is cytotoxic to malignant cells but preserves native cells. In this paper, we review the current understanding of urologic cancer metabolomics, specifically in the kidney, prostate, and bladder. We will review the basic physics of MRI and demonstrate how hyperpolarized (13)C MRI offers an innovative solution to early diagnosis as well as creates novel avenues for more targeted therapy.