# A pilot study of sodium breast MRI and relaxometry for characterization of breast cancer

> **NIH NIH R03** · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · 2020 · $76,250

## Abstract

Abstract:
This proposal evaluates sodium MRI and sodium relaxometry as markers of tumor invasiveness and grade of
human breast cancer in a pilot study.
Concentration of sodium in tissue may be a valuable molecular marker of malignancy. Previous studies have
shown elevated sodium levels in large breast cancers. Sodium relaxometry parameters T1 and biexponential
T2* have also been shown to be associated with malignancy but have not yet been systematically investigated
in breast cancer.
Our proposal includes two specific aims: 1) to develop and implement optimized sodium breast MRI hardware
and protocols to maximize the accuracy of sodium concentration estimation and relaxometry, and 2) to conduct
a pilot study of quantitative sodium MRI in patients scheduled for biopsy of suspicious lesions found by x-ray
mammograms, ultrasound, or conventional MRI. This study will explore whether sodium levels and
relaxometry data can discriminate between benign and malignant lesions. Data from this pilot study will
provide preliminary data for a future proposal for more extensive large scale evaluation of sodium MRI for
breast cancer.
Our long-term motivation is to improve the specificity of breast MRI for detection of breast cancer. If the
specificity of breast MRI can be increased through the use of sodium imaging, this will decrease the number of
unnecessary breast biopsies and will provide more accurate information about extent of disease in patients
with a new diagnosis of breast cancer to aid in the choice of appropriate therapy. The proposed technology
development and pilot study are important steps toward this ultimate goal.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9982319
- **Project number:** 5R03EB027278-02
- **Recipient organization:** UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
- **Principal Investigator:** GLEN R MORRELL
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $76,250
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9982319

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9982319, A pilot study of sodium breast MRI and relaxometry for characterization of breast cancer (5R03EB027278-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9982319. Licensed CC0.

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