New MRI aids early detection.

• Position: Pancreatic Cancer

A new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique has proved quite successful for early detection of pancreatic cancer, report physicians at the University of North Carolina Hospitals, Chapel Hill. "The essence of this work is that very early detection of pancreatic cancer is possible with MRI that is not possible with other modalities," relates radiologist Richard C. Semelka, referring to dynamic gadolinium-enhanced, 3-D gradient-echo (3D GRE).

About 32,180 people nationwide will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2005 and another 31,800 will die from the disease, the American Cancer Society, Atlanta, estimates. It is the fourth leading cause of cancer death.

Pancreatic cancer is not detected in most patients until it has reached an advanced state. Successful treatment, however, occurs only between three and four months after a tumor begins developing. Until recently, the ability of radiologists to detect pancreatic cancer was limited by problems associated with existing MRI and computed tomography (CT) requirements.

For example, distortions in MRI images caused by the pulsing of blood through the aorta or by the patient's breathing make it difficult to obtain images...