Metabolic imaging distinguishes ovarian cancer subtypes and detects their early and variable responses to treatment

High grade serous ovarian cancer displays two metabolic subtypes; a high OXPHOS subtype that shows increased expression of genes encoding electron transport chain components, increased oxygen consumption, and increased chemosensitivity, and a low OXPHOS subtype that exhibits glycolytic metabolism and is more drug resistant. We show here in patient-derived organoids and in the xenografts obtained by their subcutaneous implantation that the low OXPHOS subtype shows higher lactate dehydrogenase activity and monocarboxylate transporter 4 expression than the high OXPHOS subtype and increased lactate labeling in ¹³C magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) measurements of hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]pyruvate metabolism. There was no difference between the subtypes in PET measurements of 2-deoxy-2-[fluorine-18]fluoro-D-glucose ([¹⁸F]FDG) uptake. Both metabolic imaging techniques could detect the early response to Carboplatin treatment in drug-sensitive high OXPHOS xenografts and no response in drug-resistant in low OXPHOS xenografts. ¹³C magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging of hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]pyruvate metabolism has the potential to be used clinically to distinguish low OXPHOS and high OXPHOS tumor deposits in HGSOC patients and to detect their differential responses to treatment.