Applications of NMR Spectroscopy in Cancer Diagnosis

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Cancer is a category of diseases characterized by uncontrolled cell growth and high potential to disseminate to other parts of the body. Cancer diagnosis is challenging due to the high structure similarity between normal and cancerous cells and the aggressive diagnostic procedures. Early diagnosis of cancer is crucial to increase the remission probability and avoid complications. A number of techniques have been involved in cancer diagnosis including biopsy, laboratory tests, computerized tomography (CT) scan, Ultrasonography, X-ray imaging, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. NMR has been applied both in vivo (known as magnetic resonance imaging) and in vitro to aid in cancer diagnosis. This chapter discusses the application of in vitro NMR in diagnosis and prognosis of different types of cancer with emphasis on the metabolic alterations at early stages of malignancy. The signature metabolites of brain, breast, epithelial ovarian, prostate, lung, colorectal, bladder, and oral cancers have been presented. A perspective overview of the role of NMR spectroscopy in cancer diagnosis has also been presented. This chapter shed the light on the important role of NMR spectroscopy in cancer diagnosis and treatment follow up. The applications introduced are not meant to provide a complete list of existing studies, but to present a wide overview of the current progress in this field. The chapter will cover the following topics.