EurekAlert -- Researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center recently participated in a pilot study with the Montreal Neurological Institute that suggests a certain type of MRI scanning can detect when a patient is failing brain tumor treatment before symptoms appear. The results of the study pave the way for a proactive treatment approach. The study followed patients with recurring malignant brain tumors who were receiving chemotherapy. Patients received scans through an imaging device called MR spectroscopy to identify metabolic changes. The scanning technique suggested that the use of metabolic imaging identifies chemical changes earlier than structural imaging such as a conventional MRI and CT scans. This approach allowed researchers to determine if the tumors were responding to treatment early by assessing metabolic changes in a brain tumor, which are easy to detect and appear before structural changes or symptoms. The result may give patients more time to try another treatment.
