Brain tumours could be diagnosed without the need for tissue samples by looking at a “fingerprint” of the chemicals they produce.
While an MRI scan can image a brain tumour, in most cases a biopsy is needed to confirm the type of tumour and how aggressive it is. Inserting a needle into the brain is not only unpleasant for the patient, but can cause strokes or paralysis in up to 2 per cent of cases, and even death.
Now John Griffiths at Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Research Institute and his colleagues have put an MRI scanner to an additional use.…
