MRI innovation makes cancerous tissue light up and easier to see

Date:
March 21, 2022
Source:
University of Waterloo
Summary:
A new form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that makes cancerous
tissue glow in medical images could help doctors more accurately
detect and track the progression of cancer over time.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that makes cancerous
tissue glow in medical images could help doctors more accurately detect
and track the progression of cancer over time.


==========================================================================
The innovation, developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo,
creates images in which cancerous tissue appears to light up compared
to healthy tissue, making it easier to see.

"Our studies show this new technology has promising potential to improve
cancer screening, prognosis and treatment planning," said Alexander Wong, Canada Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Medical Imaging
and a professor of systems design engineering at Waterloo.

Irregular packing of cells leads to differences in the way water
molecules move in cancerous tissue compared to healthy tissue. The new technology, called synthetic correlated diffusion imaging, highlights
these differences by capturing, synthesizing and mixing MRI signals at different gradient pulse strengths and timings.

In the largest study of its kind, the researchers collaborated with
medical experts at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, several
Toronto hospitals and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research to apply
the technology to a cohort of 200 patients with prostate cancer.

Compared to standard MRI techniques, synthetic correlated diffusion
imaging was better at delineating significant cancerous tissue, making
it a potentially powerful tool for doctors and radiologists.

"Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide and the
most frequently diagnosed cancer among men in more developed countries,"
said Wong, also a director of the Vision and Image Processing (VIP)
Lab at Waterloo.

"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." The core research
team also included Hayden Gunraj and Vignesh Sivan, engineering graduate students at Waterloo, and Dr. Masoom Haider of the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum
Research Institute.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Waterloo. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Alexander Wong, Hayden Gunraj, Vignesh Sivan, Masoom
A. Haider. Synthetic
correlated diffusion imaging hyperintensity delineates clinically
significant prostate cancer. Scientific Reports, 2022; 12 (1)
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06872-7 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220321091914.htm

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