Sweet Beverages Can Use to Detect Cancer

Cancer detection has been familiar with the use of radioactive substances, either by injection or irradiation. Radioactive substance is used as a tracer to determine the growth of cancer cells.

In fact, too often using radioactive substances can harm the body. Radiation emitted can make cells die or are in risky conditions. In fact it is quite likely to trigger other types of cancer.

But now there is new hope for the presence of a safer diagnostic method following the discovery of experts from University College London. The findings indicate, chocolate, soft drinks, and other foods made from sugar it can be used to detect cancer.

According to their research, turns malignant tumors consume more glucose than healthy tissue. Glucose is used for rapid cell growth. Scientists develop new technique to keep track of how sugar is absorbed by the body.

Researchers used the scanner (scanner) MRI to see glucose intake. As a result, tumor cells glow brightly after eating something sweet something.

"I used to not believe. Yet our research shows, MRI scanners can be used to track the movement of glucose," said Professor Mark Lythgoe, Director of UCL's Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging (CABI).

The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine using mice colon cancer. The study found that cancer growth can be detected by MRI following the processing of glucose in rats.

This research certainly gives new hope for the treatment of cancer. This method is considered to be safer, cheaper, and simpler than using radioactive. The results of this method are also expected to be available within the next 18 months.

With minimal side effects, this technique can be used in a weekly or daily period. So that doctors can quickly determine how the cancer cells to treatment is undertaken. But this technique not recommended for children and pregnant women.

For patients who do not like needles, this news is certainly a relief. Not as positron emission tomography (PET), which requires the injection of radioactive, MRI method with glucose does not require injections. This method can be used after consuming sweet, such as soft drinks, fruit juice, or food. The method can also be used to use the sugar in half the size of standard chocolate. This technique was also tested in cancer patients and show signs of success.

"This method is promising. We can see the absorption of glucose in the area around the tumor," said Lythgoe.

Because it is considered more friendly in cancer patients, these methods are now in the stage of clinical trials. Clinical trials may use a given dose of pure glucose, which is better than chocolate or candy.

"Then we look at how this technique effective in patients," said Dr Kat Arney of Cancer Research UK.