A BREAKTHROUGH scan that uses sugar molecules to map tumours could help boost breast cancer survival.
The particles are magnetised then injected into patients before having an MRI.
Tumour cells metabolise sugar faster than healthy ones so the scan — looking for the magnetised molecules — can get a detailed picture of the disease.
It allows the cancer’s aggression and speed of spread to be more easily detected.
One doctor said: “It’s like we can see the tumour breathing.”
The scan costs about £3,000 per patient but the price is likely to fall as it is used more.
It could let docs adjust treatment to an individual’s needs and see how the illness responds.
It was tested on seven breast cancer patients in Cambridge.
Cancer Research UK’s Prof Kevin Brindle said: “This is one of the most detailed pictures of the metabolism of cancer we’ve ever been able to achieve.”
“Combining this with advances in genetic testing, this scan could in the future allow doctors to better tailor treatments to each individual and detect whether patients are responding to treatments, like chemotherapy, earlier than is currently possible.”
Around 55,000 women a year are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK – with nearly 12,000 dying.