Doctors could track and detect the progression of cancer more accurately

Doctors could track and detect the progression of cancer more accurately, thanks to researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada, who created images in which cancerous tissue appears to light up compared to healthy tissue.

According to the University, changes in the way water molecules travel in malignant tissue vs healthy tissue are caused by uneven cell packing. By recording, synthesising, and mixing MRI signals at varying gradient pulse strengths and timings, the new approach – synthetic correlated diffusion imaging – reveals these distinctions.

The researchers worked with medical professionals from the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, numerous Toronto hospitals, and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research to apply the technique to a cohort of 200 patients with prostate cancer in what is considered to be the largest study of its kind.

Synthetic correlated diffusion imaging outperformed normal MRI techniques in identifying substantial malignant tissue, making it a useful tool for clinicians and radiologists.

Canada Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Medical Imaging and a professor of systems design engineering at Waterloo, Alexander Wong, stated: “Our studies show this new technology has promising potential to improve cancer screening, prognosis and treatment planning. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide and the most frequently diagnosed cancer among men in more developed countries. That’s why we targeted it first in our research. We also have very promising results for breast cancer screening, detection, and treatment planning. This could be a game-changer for many kinds of cancer imaging and clinical decision support.”