Innovative way of diagnosing pancreatic cancer is developed

Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science have made significant progress in the field of pancreatic cancer diagnosis by developing an innovative method of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), reports Siriustele. This new approach could considerably outperform existing imaging modalities, such as traditional MRI and positron emission tomography (PET), which are often ineffective in detecting pancreatic tumors.

Pancreatic cancer is notoriously difficult to diagnose in its early stages. The deep location of the organ in the abdominal cavity and its individual position in each person make it extremely difficult to detect tumors. Often the disease is diagnosed so late that effective treatment is no longer possible.

The new method developed by Israeli scientists is based on a principle similar to glucose tolerance tests used to diagnose diabetes. But in this case, the researchers focused on tracking glucose metabolism in the cells themselves. For this, they used chemically modified glucose containing deuterium, a stable isotope of hydrogen.

In experiments on mice with pancreatic cancer, modified glucose was injected into the animals' blood prior to an MRI scan. The results were impressive, as even at low concentrations of deuterium lactate formed during glucose metabolism, the images clearly showed bright areas corresponding to millimeter-sized tumors. At the same time, healthy tissues remained "dark" on the scan images.

The researchers note that their method is considerably superior to existing MRI approaches for cancer diagnosis, which focus only on the final stages of the glucose digestion process in cancer cells. The new technology enables a more detailed and accurate understanding of metabolic processes in tumor tissues.

The potential of this innovative method is hard to overestimate. It may be the key to early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, which in turn opens up opportunities for more effective treatment and considerably improves prognosis for patients. Early detection of this disease will considerably increase the chances of successful therapy and prolong the life span of patients.

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