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Pancreatic cancer, notorious for its late-stage detection and high mortality rate, may soon be more easily diagnosed thanks to a groundbreaking MRI technique developed by Israeli researchers. This new approach illuminates pancreatic tumors, offering hope for earlier diagnoses and more effective treatments
The Challenge of Pancreatic Cancer Detection
The pancreas’s deep location in the abdominal cavity varies among individuals, making it challenging to detect tumors until it is often too late. Pancreatic cancer, though the 12th most common form of cancer globally, was the sixth deadliest in 2020. Without advancements in early detection, it is projected to become the deadliest form of cancer by 2030.
The New MRI Method
Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have developed an innovative MRI method that tracks how cells metabolize glucose, akin to glucose tolerance tests used for diabetes. This method leverages the Warburg effect, a phenomenon discovered by Nobel Prize laureate Otto Warburg nearly a century ago. Warburg found that cancer cells consume glucose at unusually high rates compared to non-cancerous cells, converting it into lactate rather than fully metabolizing it into carbon dioxide.
Research and Findings
The Weizmann team, led by Professors Lucio Frydman and Avigdor Scherz, utilized chemically altered glucose containing deuterium, a stable isotope of hydrogen. Injecting this modified glucose into mice with pancreatic tumors allowed them to scan and identify the unique metabolic products of cancer cells. Their findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances, suggest that this method could significantly improve the accuracy of pancreatic cancer detection.
According to Prof. Frydman, traditional MRI and PET scans often fail to accurately identify pancreatic tumors. “Traditional MRI fails to detect pancreatic tumors because, even when external contrast agents are added, the scanning is not specific enough to highlight the presence and location of the cancer,” Frydman explained. “Doctors can’t see the tumor until the patient feels its effects.”
He added that PET scans also have limitations, as a positive scan does not always indicate cancer, and a negative scan does not always mean the patient is cancer-free.
Addressing the Diagnostic Gap
Current preventive measures for pancreatic cancer involve periodic CT and MRI scans, often accompanied by invasive endoscopic biopsies. However, these methods are not always effective. The new MRI technique aims to fill this diagnostic gap by detecting distinct metabolic patterns in normal and cancerous tissues.
In healthy cells, glucose metabolism ends with carbon dioxide production. In contrast, cancer cells produce lactate, aiding their proliferation. The challenge lay in detecting the small amounts of lactate produced by cancer cells, which conventional MRI could not easily capture due to the overwhelming presence of tissue water protons.
The researchers solved this by using deuterized glucose, which, when metabolized by cancer cells, produced detectable deuterized lactate. This innovative approach overcame the interference from water signals, enhancing the sensitivity of the scans.
Enhanced Sensitivity and Practical Applications
To further improve detection, Frydman’s team developed advanced experimental and image-processing techniques, significantly enhancing the ability to detect deuterized lactate. This new MRI method illuminated even the smallest tumors while leaving healthy tissues dark.
“Even if the cancer is not caught in time, deuterium MRI will help measure rates at which the glucose-to-lactate conversion happens,” Frydman said. “This could provide a crucial metric for predicting the usefulness of certain treatments, or even determining whether a treatment is working.”
The researchers believe that this method could become the preferred approach for diagnosing hard-to-detect pancreatic tumors and selecting the most effective treatments, potentially improving patient prognosis and outcomes.
This innovative technique represents a significant advancement in the early detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer, offering new hope to patients and healthcare providers alike.
