CcRCC_metabolic_heterogeneity

Heterogeneity is a hallmark of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). In this study, hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate MRI (HP-13C-MRI) was used to probe metabolic heterogeneity non-invasively in 6 ccRCC patients from which 58 tumor and healthy tissues biopsies were acquired postoperatively. MRI parameters were correlated with 146 metabolite concentrations and the expression of 2523 metabolic genes across 34 metabolic pathways. Using metabologram projections and pathway consensus scoring, several metabolic pathways were correlated with the metabolic MRI, including glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, and the TCA cycle. A simple thresholding approach applied to the imaging metrics was sufficient to provide meaningful metabolic pathway information. We also show that tissue metabolic heterogeneity increases in regions with higher pyruvate-to-lactate conversion on imaging. These results provide validation of the biological relevance of HP-13C-MRI and support the possibility of its clinical use to improve disease characterization, stratification, targeting of biopsies, and providing novel methods to monitor treatment response.

• 13/11/2025
• 1 sample
• DAC: EGAC00001000000
• Technology: Illumina HiSeq 4000