Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of cancer. VI. Relationship among spin-lattice relaxation times, growth rate, and water content of Morris hepatomas.

Relaxation time(s) (T1), growth rates, and the water content of six Morris hepatomas, several murine tumors, and a selection of normal tissues indicated that malignant tumors did not always exhibit longer T1 values than any normal tissue, as previously suspected. This overlap raised the possibility of confusion between normal and malignant tissues studied by this method. Tissue T1 values depended primarily on the hydration of the tissue and correlated well with water content determinations. A rough correlation of T1 and water content with tumor growth rate was also observed.