Whole body MRI rapidly scans for metastases

The results of whole body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compare well with other methods of evaluating metastases and can be done rapidly, German researchers report in the October issue of Radiology.

Using this approach “we now can perform cancer — or metastases — screening in about 10 minutes,” lead investigator Dr. Thomas C. Lauenstein at University Hospital Essen told Reuters Health.Dr. Lauenstein and colleagues studied 52 patients with known malignant tumors. Two radiologists compared the results of whole-body MRI scans with those obtained by skeletal scintigraphy, computed tomography (CT) and dedicated MRI.Skeletal scintigraphy detected osseous metastases in 21 patients. Whole-body MRI did so in 24 patients. These findings were confirmed at follow-up examination. In addition, the whole-body technique identified a hepatic metastasis that was missed by CT.All cerebral, pulmonary and hepatic metastases greater than 6 mm in diameter were identified by whole-body MRI. Small pulmonary metastases were missed by the approach, but this did not lead to changes in therapeutic strategy.The researchers note that the mean time for examination by this method was 14.5 minutes. On a per-patient basis, specificity and sensitivity were both 100%.While not a replacement for dedicated MRI examinations, the researchers conclude that whole-body MRI is a “time-saving and accurate alternative to conventional multimodality evaluation” for metastases in patients with tumors.(Source: Radiology 2004;233:139-148: Reuters Health News: October 2004.)