Washington: In a breakthrough, scientists
in the US have discovered a technique that would identify
malignant breast tumours without biopsy.
Researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas
Jefferson University have discovered a possible way for
malignant breast tumours to be identified without the need for
a biopsy, the Journal of Nuclear Medicine said.
Current imaging modalities miss up to 30 per cent of
breast cancers and cannot distinguish malignant tumors from
benign tumours, thus requiring invasive biopsies.
Approximately 5.6 million biopsies performed in the
United States find only benign lesions. These biopsies cause
substantial stress for the patients and have significantly
high costs.
"The challenge has been to develop an imaging agent
that will target a specific, fingerprint biomarker that
visualizes malignant breast lesions early and reliably," said
lead author Mathew Thakur.
Dr Thakur and colleagues studied an agent called
64Cu-TP3805, which is used to evaluate tumors via PET imaging.
64Cu-TP3805 detects breast cancer by finding a biomarker
called VPAC1, which is overexpressed as the tumour develops.
The researchers compared the images using that agent
with images using the "gold standard" imaging agent, 18F-FDG.
They used MMTVneu mice, which are mice that develop breast
tumours spontaneously, like humans.
PTI