To determine the biochemical characteristics of lung cancer tissue using in vitro ¹H‐MRS, and investigate the correlation between survival probabilities and lactate (Lac), creatine (Cr), and choline (Cho) concentrations measured by in vitro ¹H‐MRS.

A total of 21 patients with lung cancer were included in this retrospective study. ¹H‐MRS spectra measurements were performed at 6.35T using a JNM‐EX270, high‐resolution FT‐NMR spectrometer.

When normal lung tissue was compared with lung cancer tissue, significant differences were noted most consistently in the levels of Lac and Cho, with lung cancer tissue showing higher values than normal lung tissue. Lac concentrations of lung cancer tissue were significantly higher in patients with recurrence compared to patients without recurrence (0.285 ± 0.096 μmol/g). The mean overall survival of patients in the low‐Lac group was 50.28 ± 6.47 months, which is significantly higher compared to the high‐Lac group, which had a mean survival time of only 30.49 ± 5.41 months.

Kaplan‐Meier analysis of the data showed that the overall and disease‐free survival probabilities were significantly higher in patients with low tumor Lac values than in those with high tumor Lac concentrations. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.