Chemotherapy drugs, given intravenously, are the mainstay of the fight against cancer. But doctors know that sometimes these drugs effect a complete cure, while other times they are nearly ineffective. How to turn some of those failures into successes is a question that was tackled by a team of scientists at the Weizmann Institute, headed by Prof. Hadassa Degani of the Biological Regulation Department.
The team developed a non-invasive, MRI-based method for predicting possible problems. The findings of their studies on animals, which appear in the recent journal Cancer Research, may, in the future, influence treatment regimes for millions of cancer patients.
Intravenous infusions rely on the bloodstream to carry drugs to where they are needed. Normally, a material such as a chemotherapy drug crosses into a tissue on the principle of concentration equalization – the material diffuses from an area of high concentration to one of low concentration until the concentrations become equal all around. However, in some cancers, even though the material “wants” to spread out evenly, fluids inside the tumor may be exerting pressure to prevent this. When the internal pressure created by these fluids rises above a certain level, it acts as a barrier that keeps drugs and other materials from entering the tumor.
The method the Institute scientists developed can measure, with a non-invasive MRI scan, whether the fluid pressure in cancer tissues is at levels that could render chemotherapy ineffective. Their research, which led to the method, was done with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment similar to that found in hospitals and clinics. See images below.
Prof. Degani says that, ideally, the fluid pressure inside tumor tissues would be checked using the MRI method she and her team developed before a patient begins chemotherapy. If the pressure is discovered to be high, it might be possible to reduce it by various means, such as drugs similar to those for lowering blood pressure. The method, if it proves successful in clinical trials, might significantly increase the success rate of chemotherapy.
Click here for more information about the study.
The team developed a non-invasive, MRI-based method for predicting possible problems. The findings of their studies on animals, which appear in the recent journal Cancer Research, may, in the future, influence treatment regimes for millions of cancer patients.
Prof. Hadassa Degani, Weizmann Institute
The method the Institute scientists developed can measure, with a non-invasive MRI scan, whether the fluid pressure in cancer tissues is at levels that could render chemotherapy ineffective. Their research, which led to the method, was done with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment similar to that found in hospitals and clinics. See images below.
Prof. Degani says that, ideally, the fluid pressure inside tumor tissues would be checked using the MRI method she and her team developed before a patient begins chemotherapy. If the pressure is discovered to be high, it might be possible to reduce it by various means, such as drugs similar to those for lowering blood pressure. The method, if it proves successful in clinical trials, might significantly increase the success rate of chemotherapy.
Click here for more information about the study.
Stage 1: Mapping of contrast material levels in a tumor.
Stage 2: After mathematical analysis that "translates" the concentrations of the material to pressures acting inside the tumor. Where concentrations of the material are low, pressure in the spaces between cells is high.