Mesothelioma and MRI Scans: Using an Old Tool in a New Way
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Mesothelioma and MRI Scans: Using an Old Tool in a New Way

ByHolly Zink

Imaging scans are an important tool in helping clinicians diagnose mesothelioma. These scans include X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, and PET scans. These tools help clinicians to see tumors inside a patient’s body. The results of the scan cannot diagnose mesothelioma, but it is an important tool for arriving at the correct diagnosis. Unlike X-rays and CT’s, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans use a completely different type of radiation. An MRI applies a very strong magnetic field to change the spin of protons. The scanner also produces a radio frequency. This process produces a signal that can be made into an image. Until now, the role of MRIs has been limited in mesothelioma. However, new evidence suggests MRIs can be…

MRI Imaging May Be Superior to CT for Pleural Mesothelioma Diagnosis and Staging
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MRI Imaging May Be Superior to CT for Pleural Mesothelioma Diagnosis and Staging

ByAlex Strauss

When it comes to diagnosing and monitoring treatment response in people with pleural mesothelioma, MRI imaging may be better than CT.  That is the message from a new Italian study published in the online medical journal Cancers.  RIght now, CT (computed tomography) is the most popular form of imaging for pleural mesothelioma. Cancer doctors use CT images to help diagnose mesothelioma. They also use it to see how widespread the cancer is and to find out if treatment is making a difference.  But radiology researchers at Pisa University Hospital say MRI imaging has advantages over CT for people with the rare asbestos cancer.  Mesothelioma Diagnosis and Prognosis  Malignant pleural mesothelioma is the most serious of several health conditions linked to…

Invasiveness of Peritoneal Mesothelioma: MRI Beats CT for Assessment
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Invasiveness of Peritoneal Mesothelioma: MRI Beats CT for Assessment

ByAlex Strauss

New research shows MRI beats CT when it comes to measuring the invasiveness of peritoneal mesothelioma. Scientists from several of the top US cancer centers ran the study. It included nearly 500 mesothelioma patients and appears in the journal Clinical Colorectal Cancer.  The study shows that the invasiveness of peritoneal mesothelioma is more visible on MRI than it is on CT. The news could make a difference in how doctors plan peritoneal mesothelioma treatment.  Peritoneal Cancer Index and Mesothelioma Peritoneal mesothelioma cancer grows on the peritoneal membrane lining the abdomen. Like all forms of mesothelioma, it usually comes from exposure to asbestos. Peritoneal mesothelioma accounts for about a fifth of all mesothelioma cases.  Doctors assess the invasiveness of peritoneal mesothelioma…

Best Tools for Measuring Mesothelioma Treatment Response
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Best Tools for Measuring Mesothelioma Treatment Response

ByAlex Strauss

When it comes to evaluating treatment response in mesothelioma, functional imaging techniques may do a better job than standard imaging. That is the word from a team of UK researchers who compared different types of imaging techniques in the evaluation of pleural mesothelioma patients for an article in the journal Lung Cancer. Imaging Techniques for Mesothelioma Tumors Functional imaging, which includes techniques like positron emission tomography (PET), dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, and diffusion-weighted MRI, are designed to tell doctors more than just the size or shape of the mesothelioma tumor. By using certain kinds of injectable tracers, these imaging studies reveal important information about cellular processes like metabolism, which is typically higher in mesothelioma cells than it is in normal cells. “By…