Investigation of gynecological cancer with nuclear magnetic relaxation methods.

Nuclear magnetic relaxation times T1 and T2 of cell water protons in benign and malignant uterine cervical tissue (37 samples taken from 22 patients) were measured using a resonance frequency of 19.8 MHz. The means of relaxation times recorded for malignant tissue were (mean +/- S.E.) T1 = 0.89 +/- 0.05 s, T2 = 0.072 +/- 0.009 s, and obtained from corresponding benign tissues (mean +/- S.E.) T1 = 0.72 +/- 0.01 s T2 = 0.056 +/- 0.003 s. The differences are statistically significant (T1:p less than 0.001, and T2:p less than 0.05). The effect of dysplasia and inflammatory changes in mucosa to the relaxation times were examined and the probable sources of error in the present method are discussed.