Critically, Philips hopes the MRI imaging can also be used to immediately gauge how successful the treatment has been. In the study, the researchers included a gadolinium-based contrast agent in the drug package, so they could visualize on the MRI scans how much of the drug was absorbed by the tumor.

This is important because of a problem with normal cancer drug therapies, Philips said. Sometimes the center of a tumor has no blood supply, and therefore cannot be killed by chemotherapy drugs. Instead, the outer layers are killed, which are then broken down by the body until only a revitalized core tumor is left, which can then re-grow and spread throughout the body.


"With this [technique], you can visualize where chemotherapy went, and can see directly after the procedure if part of the tumor was missed," Matthew Harris, a spokesman for Philips Research, told DOTmed News.

Further research

Philips said with the proof-of-concept study wrapped up, it was now time to see if the modality provided therapeutic effectiveness - that is, whether increasing the chemotherapy payload to tumors actually helps with treatment or survival.

"Yes, we're able to increase the level of chemotherapy in the tumor, but are yet to show if you do increase the levels in the tumor, if that helps with the treatment," Harris said. "In theory, it might be the case you can increase the chemotherapy in the tumor, but it doesn't make a difference. Further research is ongoing investigating this question."


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