Assessment of prostate tissue response to brachy- and external beam radiotherapy using 1H MRS

Motivation: Monitoring time-dependent effects of prostate brachy- and radiotherapy. Goal(s): Assessment of prostate metabolic activity during and three months after the completion of brachy- and/or external beam radiotherapy. Approach: Single-voxel 1H-MRS with a surface receiver coil. Results: It is demonstrated that the proposed 1H-MRS approach is a useful tool for monitoring metabolic changes in prostate tissues treated with brachy- and/or external beam radiotherapy. We found reduction of citrate intensity close to the noise level to be the most reliable measure for identification of metabolic atrophy and response to therapy. Impact: Single-voxel 1H-MRS with a surface receiver coil is an effective method for monitoring the response of prostate tissues to brachy- and/or external beam radiotherapy. Good response to prostate radiotherapy might be characterized by low citrate intensity.