Researchers suss out brain tumors, and therapy response, with new metabolic PET tracer

Locating a tumor hiding in a thicket of brain cells can be a tricky proposition. But doing so accurately is critical to removing the cancer via surgery, or for monitoring its response to therapy.

Now researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have devised a new way to cause brain tumor tissue to stand out clearly during a type of imaging scan called positron emission tomography. They capitalized on the fact that rapidly dividing cancer cells require vast molecular stockpiles to create new cells. Read more.