Scan Predicts Chemotherapy Benefit After Just One Cycle
12 August 2011 - Scientists at the ICR and The Royal Marsden have developed an advanced type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan that can detect whether late-stage ovarian cancers are responding to chemotherapy treatment after just one cycle.
Professor Nandita de Souza and colleagues found that a technique called diffusion-weighted MRI can be used to show a change after just one 21- or 28- day cycle, allowing doctors to predict whether a patient would benefit from the full six-month course of chemotherapy.
The technique could be used to help doctors decide whether to continue or alter treatment, allowing patients to avoid the unpleasant side-effects of ineffective treatments.
A larger trial in four UK hospitals that will assess the technique alongside the current blood tests and scans is due to start later this year.
