Researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed a new form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that makes cancerous tissue glow in medical images. This innovation could enable more accurate detection and tracking of cancer over time.
“Our studies show this new technology has promising potential to improve cancer screening, prognosis and treatment planning,” said first author Professor Alexander Wong.
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, synthesising 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.
The synthetic correlated diffusion imaging was found to be better at delineating significant cancerous tissue than current imaging technique, making it a potentially powerful addition to the toolbox 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 Prof Wong. “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.”
In an encouraging sign, the RAND corporation reports that despite COVID, cancer screenings in the United States rebounded in the wake of the first wave.
There has been concern since the COVID pandemic was keeping people from going in for routine cancer screening, resulting in more undetected cancers to progress unchecked and an increase in cancer deaths. As some 600 000 Americans were expected to die of cancer in 2020, any impact on screening is a considerable health concern.
In a statement, Ryan McBain, PhD, of the RAND Corp. in Santa Monica, California, said: “These are the first findings to show that, despite real fears about the consequences of drop off in cancer screens, health facilities figured out how to pick this back up after the initial pandemic restrictions. Our study shows that health systems were able to recalibrate resources and protocols in a relatively short interval to deliver these important services.”
In Spain, cancer diagnoses were down 38% in the first half of 2020, according to one study. The pandemic’s impact on cancer screening that required in-person examinations, such as mammography and colonoscopy, were a particular concern, McBain and co-authors noted. Moreover, little was known about the magnitude of the decline in screening rates or longer-term trends in screen.
Using data on Castlight Health beneficiaries from January 15 to July 31, 2020, the researchers calculated weekly screening rates per 10 000 eligible beneficiaries. Before the declaration of national emergency in the US on March 13, screening mammography weekly rate was 87.8 per 10 000, falling to a low of 6.9 per 10 000 in April. Thereafter, screening rates began a steady recovery, to 88.2 per 10 000 at the end of July.
Over the same time period, weekly colonoscopy screenings fell from 15.1 to 0.9 per 10 000, before rebounding to a weekly median of 12.6 per 10 000 by July 31, 2020.
Multivariable regression analyses confirmed the significant declines in screening mammography and colonoscopy. A larger decline in colonoscopy was observed in high-income counties. Otherwise, the analyses showed no significant demographic variations.
Laura Makaroff, DO, of the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, said that the pandemic’s ultimate impact on cancer screening and cancer care is still largely unknown.
“We have seen similar data showing some rebound in cancer screening rates last summer and fall, but even those turnarounds show an approximate 30% decrease in cancer screening compared with pre-pandemic rates,” she said to MedPage Today in an email. “We also don’t yet know the full impact of the late fall and winter surges on disruptions in cancer screening and diagnosis.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had numerous consequences secondary to the disease itself, including reduced access to care for other illnesses,” Dr Makaroff added. “While these measures were necessary, delays in cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment due to reduced healthcare access will likely result in a short-term drop in cancer diagnoses followed by increases in late-stage diagnoses and preventable cancer deaths.
“The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer prevention and early detection will not be known until population-based nationwide data become available in the years to come,” she said.
Journal information: McBain RK, et al “Decline and rebound in routine cancer screening rates during the COVID-19 pandemic” J Intern Med 2021; DOI: 10.1007/s11606-021-06660-5.
