Measurements of magnetic relaxation times of normal tissue and renal cell carcinoma.

Spin-lattice (T1) and spin-spin (T2) magnetic relaxation times of 25 human renal cell carcinomas and their assorted normal tissues were measured with a Bruker NMR spectrometer operating at 20 MHz. The tissue samples were examined within four hours after surgery. The results (mean +/- SD) were as follows: renal cell carcinoma, T1 = 638 +/- 168 msec and T2 = 109 +/- 41 msec; normal renal tissue, T1 = 594 +/- 165 msec and T2 = 100 +/- 24 msec. These results indicate that there was no significant difference in T1 and T2 between normal renal tissue and carcinoma. Our results suggest that it is difficult to separate relaxation times of renal cancer from those of normal parenchyma and that the difference between T1 and T2 alone does not permit recognition of renal cell cancer. Paramagnetic contrast agents may be useful in MR imaging to differentiate renal cancer from normal parenchyma.