The purpose of this research was to compare hyperpolarized carbon 13 (13C) MRI with dynamic contrast material–enhanced (DCE) MRI in the detection of early treatment response in breast cancer. In this institutional review board–approved prospective study, a woman with triple-negative breast cancer (age, 49 years) underwent 13C MRI after injection of hyperpolarized [1–carbon 13 {13C}]-pyruvate and DCE MRI at 3 T at baseline and after one cycle of neoadjuvant therapy. The 13C-labeled lactate-to-pyruvate ratio derived from hyperpolarized 13C MRI and the pharmacokinetic parameters transfer constant (Ktrans) and washout parameter (kep) derived from DCE MRI were compared before and after treatment.
