Radiation-Free Cancer Scans: Coming Soon?

Good news on the radiology front.

http://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/article/46574.htm?c=NL20140219

Radiation-Free Cancer Scans: Coming Soon?

TUESDAY, Feb. 18, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new way to scan children -- and potentially adults -- for signs of cancer's spread without exposing them to dangerous radiation has been developed, researchers say.

The approach, however, has been tested only in a few patients, and pediatric radiologists say it's not ready for prime time just yet. snip

The new findings highlight an alternative that allows radiologists to scan for tumors without using any radiation. Instead, they used MRI scans in conjunction with a "contrast agent" -- a kind of iron supplement -- that helps them better see the insides of the body.

In the study, the researchers scanned 22 patients aged 8 to 33 who had malignant tumors known as lymphomas and sarcomas. The researchers found similar numbers of tumors by using the new MRI approach (158 tumors) and a traditional radiation scanning approach that combines PET and CT (163 tumors).

"If treatment decisions had been made based on either of these scans, the decision would have been the same," Daldrup-Link said.