What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate the efficacy of hyperpolarized carbon-13 MRI in assessing early treatment response in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

April 5, 2026

Abstract 2131: Hyperpolarized carbon-13 MRI for early treatment response assessment in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients.

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

Hyperpolarized carbon-13 MRI can detect early metabolic changes, specifically decreases in the lactate-to-pyruvate ratio, that correlate with treatment response in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients prior to observable changes in tumor cellularity. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Key Points

To evaluate the efficacy of hyperpolarized carbon-13 MRI in assessing early treatment response in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
Conducted multiparametric 1H MRI and HP 13C MRI in five patients pre- and at 4 & 8 weeks post-treatment.
Assessed signal intensities and ratios of 13C pyruvate, lactate, and alanine in tumors and normal pancreas.
Monitored changes in lactate-to-pyruvate and alanine-to-pyruvate ratios.
All patients showed elevated lactate-to-pyruvate ratios pre-treatment.
Approximately 25% decrease in lactate-to-pyruvate ratio correlated with partial response by RECIST in four patients.
Reduction in alanine-to-pyruvate ratios observed, but its correlation with treatment response was unclear.

Abstract

Abstract Current methods for monitoring treatment response in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), primarily relying tumor size measurement using response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST), are often delayed and limited by the infiltrative nature of the disease. Timely, non-invasive assessment is crucial for adapting therapies for non-responders. PDA tumor cells are characterized by significant metabolic reprogramming, driven by KRAS oncogene mutations, which enhance glycolysis and lactate production while downregulating alanine aminotransferase, which mediates pyruvate to alanine conversion. Hyperpolarized (HP) carbon-13 (13C) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers a non-invasive solution to interrogate these metabolic changes. Utilizing dynamic nuclear polarization, this technique provides unprecedented sensitivity( 10,000-fold signal increase) and chemical specificity for rapid and pathway-specific investigation of dynamic metabolic processes that were previously inaccessible by 1H MRI or CT. Pre-clinical studies have shown HP 13C MRI using 1-13Cpyruvate as substrate can detect and monitor PDA precursor lesion progression, with an increase in the lactate-to-pyruvate ratio and decrease in the alanine-to-pyruvate ratio observed in the affected mice pancreas. Initial clinical studies have further demonstrated the feasibility and safety of HP 13C MRI for quantifying metabolism in PDA patients. In this ongoing study, five PDA patients underwent multiparametric 1H MRI and HP 13C MRI both pre- and at 45%). Reduced alanine-to-pyruvate ratios were observed in pre-treatment tumors for two patients, though their relationship to treatment response could not be fully quantified. No significant changes in tumor ADC from diffusion-weighted 1H MRI were observed pre- and post-treatment, suggesting that metabolic alterations detectable by HP 13C MRI precede significant changes in cellularity at this early time point. These initial findings indicate that HP 13C MRI can detect early metabolic changes in PDA tumors in response to therapy, holding significant potential for providing timely treatment response information, facilitating adaptive treatment strategies, and improving patient outcomes in PDA. Citation Format: Minjie Zhu, Hsin-yu Chen, Tanner Nickles, Robert Bok, Andrew H. Ko, Zhen Wang, Jeremy W. Gordon. Hyperpolarized carbon-13 MRI for early treatment response assessment in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients abstract. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 2131.

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