A new scanning technique can provide images of patient's entire body, reveals where cancer is affecting the bones and guide doctors in their choice of treatment, new research reveals, Newsmax Health reports.

The high-tech "whole body" scan could improve treatment of myeloma by using a new type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), reducing the need for painful biopsies and making diagnoses more accurate.

Researcher Nandita deSouza said the scanning technique allowed doctors to pinpoint exactly where the cancer was in the bones, with the results available immediately. Conventional tests, such as bone marrow biopsies and blood tests, do not show where the cancer is present in the bones.