Research Stresses Benefits of Medical Imaging in Treating Cancer

A US medical imaging alliance reported that a new study published in August 2013 the journal Nature Medicine on the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess brain tumors emphasized the value of sophisticated medical imaging in helping physicians assess the effectiveness of chemotherapy and readjust a patient’s treatment plan as necessary.

“This study demonstrates the tremendous value of advanced medical imaging to guide optimal patient care and deliver more effective treatment,” said Gail Rodriguez, executive director of The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA; Arlington, VA, USA). “With a more sophisticated understanding of whether and when a patient’s tumor is responding favorably to a particular therapy regimen, we are one step closer to truly personalized medicine: tailoring therapies to the patient—and not wasting precious time or resources on less effective treatments.”

Measurement and assessment of the size, shape, and structure of a tumor in a patient with cancer is critical for effective in vivo tracking of disease progression and treatment response. Using vessel architectural imaging (VAI), a new method of analyzing data acquired through MR imaging, researchers from the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH; Boston, MA, USA) were able to identify changes in brain tumor blood vessels within days of the initiation of anti-angiogenesis therapy, and discovered that study participants with these responses had prolonged survival. Researchers could see the effects of therapy after just 28 days of treatment for most patients, with some showing results even just one day after their treatment began, suggesting that rapidly identifying those whose tumors do not respond would allow for discontinuation of the ineffective therapy and exploration of other options.

Recently developed, cutting-edge MR techniques can determine numerous factors such as the size, radius, and capacity of blood vessels. VAI incorporates data from two types of sophisticated MR images and analyzes them in a way that distinguishes among small arteries, veins, and capillaries, determines the radius of these vessels, and shows how much oxygen is being delivered to tissues.

Related Links:
Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance
Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital