Important step towards improving diagnosis and treatment of brain metastases

First standardized criteria for the use of amino acid PET published

2025-05-08

(Press-News.org) Brain metastases often occur as a result of advanced cancer and, despite medical innovations, are still associated with a poor prognosis. Now, an international expert committee led by the Medical University of Vienna and the Ludwig Maximilian University Hospital (LMU) in Munich has taken an important step towards improving diagnostics and therapy monitoring. A special imaging procedure, amino acid PET, can not only improve patient care, but also advance research into the development of new treatment approaches. The first standardised criteria for the use of this method have now been published in the top journal Nature Medicine.

Until now, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been the main method used to diagnose and monitor the treatment of brain metastases. However, this method cannot visualise the metabolic activity of tumour cells. That is why amino acid positron emission tomography (amino acid PET) is increasingly being used in research, but also in the care of patients with brain metastases. This imaging technique uses radiolabelled substances to achieve a more precise assessment of tumour metabolism and thus a more accurate estimation of the tumour's response to therapy. The amino acid tracers used in this process accumulate preferentially in cancer cells and can thus detect the tumour load more accurately than conventional MRI techniques.

Targeted evaluation of treatment options
Despite its increasing use in research and clinical routine, there are still no standardised criteria for the use of amino acid PET in brain metastases. These have now been developed by an international research group, the so-called RANO group, under the leadership of oncologist Matthias Preusser from the Medical University of Vienna and nuclear medicine specialist Nathalie Albert from the Ludwig Maximilian University Hospital (LMU) in Munich. Maximilian J. Mair and Anna S. Berghoff (Clinical Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine I) from MedUni Vienna are also involved in the groundbreaking work. The criteria, entitled "PET RANO BM 1.0", define a standardised procedure for assessing the metabolic response of brain metastases to treatment for the first time. This could lead to PET imaging being more closely integrated into clinical trials in the future, in order to evaluate new therapy options in a targeted manner.

"The introduction of the new criteria is an important step towards improving diagnosis and therapy monitoring for brain metastases," says Matthias Preusser. It may also allow a more precise distinction between true tumour changes and therapy-related effects such as tissue damage after radiotherapy. "This could not only optimise patient care, but also accelerate the development of innovative treatment strategies," adds Nathalie Albert, Professor of Nuclear Medicine and Senior Physician at the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian University Hospital (LMU) in Munich.

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Maternal cardiometabolic health during pregnancy associated with higher blood pressure in children, NIH study finds

2025-05-08

Children born to mothers with cardiometabolic health issues before or during pregnancy may face a higher risk of elevated blood pressure in childhood and adolescence, according to a new study funded by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). High blood pressure in childhood often continues into adulthood and is linked to a greater risk of heart problems later in life. This ECHO research offers insights into how a mother’s heart and metabolic health before and during pregnancy may contribute to her child’s long-term cardiovascular well-being. The study analyzed data from 12,480 mother-child ...

Mercury levels in the atmosphere have decreased throughout the 21st century

2025-05-08

Mercury is released by environmental and human-driven processes. And some forms, specifically methylmercury, are toxic to humans. Therefore, policies and regulations to limit mercury emissions have been implemented across the globe. And, according to research published in ACS ES&T Air, those efforts may be working. Researchers found that atmospheric mercury levels have decreased by almost 70% in the last 20 years, mainly because human-caused emissions have been reduced. “By tracking mercury pollution over four decades at the top of the world, we show that global efforts to reduce pollution ...

This soft robot “thinks” with its legs

2025-05-08

A research team from AMOLF in Amsterdam created a soft robot that walks, hops, and swims — all without a brain, electronics, or AI. Just soft tubes, air, and some clever physics. The study published this week in Science describes one of the fastest soft robots yet, and one of the simplest. It has no computer, no software, and no sensors. And still, it moves with surprising coordination and autonomy, simply because of its body and how it interacts with the world. So, what’s really driving it? Underneath the movement is a principle you’ve probably seen, though maybe overlooked. Think of those wobbly, ...

Biologists identify targets for new pancreatic cancer treatments

2025-05-08

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Researchers from MIT and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have discovered that a class of peptides expressed in pancreatic cancer cells could be a promising target for T-cell therapies and other approaches that attack pancreatic tumors. Known as cryptic peptides, these molecules are produced from sequences in the genome that were not thought to encode proteins. Such peptides can also be found in some healthy cells, but in this study, the researchers identified about 500 that appear to be found only in pancreatic ...

Simple tweaks to a gene underlie the stench of rotten-smelling flowers

2025-05-08

Some plants lure pollinators not with sweet fragrances, but with the rank stench of decay. In a new study, researchers show how plants pull this off. In Asarum flowers, a gene typically used for detoxifying smelly compounds has instead evolved to produce unpleasant odors, the researchers report. The findings shed light on how plants co-opt widely conserved metabolic pathways for ecological advantage. A key feature of foul-smelling flowers is the release of malodorous volatile compounds, particularly oligosulfides like dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) and dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS). These compounds mimic the chemical signals given off by decaying material. ...

Simple, effective interventions reduce emissions from Bangladesh’s informal brick kilns

2025-05-08

Simple and inexpensive interventions aimed at making changes in how Bangladesh’s informal brink kilns operate could dramatically cut emissions and boost profits for producers, according to a new study. The findings may offer a scalable model for tackling pollution in hard-to-regulate informal industries, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In many LMICs, weak regulatory systems limit the effectiveness of pollution control, especially in informal industries that tend to operate outside formal governance and ...

Ultrasound-guided 3D bioprinting enables deep-tissue implant fabrication in vivo

2025-05-08

A new ultrasound-guided 3D printing technique could make it possible to fabricate medical implants in vivo and deliver tailored therapies to tissues deep inside the body – all without invasive surgery, researchers report. 3D bioprinting technologies offer significant promise to modern medicine by enabling the creation of customized implants, intricate medical devices, and engineered tissues tailored to individual patients. However, most current approaches require invasive surgical implantation. Although in vivo bioprinting – “3D printing” tissue directly within the body – offers ...

Soft limbs of flexible tubes and air enable dynamic, autonomous robotic locomotion

2025-05-08

Using only airflow and simple physical design – resulting in a structure that looks like a roadside “inflatable tube dancer” – researchers have developed soft robots that achieve coordinated, autonomous movement without relying on complex electronic controllers. In nature, animals often move with remarkable efficiency. They do this by seamlessly integrating the nervous system, body mechanics, and environmental interactions. This decentralized coordination allows animals to move efficiently without relying on constant direction from the brain. In contrast, most robots depend ...

Researchers develop practical solution to reduce emissions and improve air quality from brick manufacturing in Bangladesh

2025-05-08

Brick manufacturing is a central component of the economy in South Asia, but also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, as the practice releases carbon dioxide (CO₂), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and other contaminants into the environment. This coal-powered industry poses a serious threat to human health, agriculture, and the environment in low- and middle-income countries that lack the capacity to monitor and regulate these largely informal operations. As scientists continue to sound the alarm on the increasing dangers of fossil fuels, a new study by researchers at Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH), Stanford ...

Durham University scientists solve 500-million-year fossil mystery

2025-05-08

-With images- A peculiar spiny fossil, once thought to represent one of the earliest molluscs, has now been conclusively reclassified by scientists from Durham University and Yunnan University as something entirely different – a distant relative of sponge-like creatures known as chancelloriids. This striking revelation is set to reshape our understanding of early animal evolution. The fossil, named Shishania aculeata, hails from 500-million-year-old Cambrian deposits in Yunnan Province, southern China, ...

Wiley advances Knowitall Solutions with new trendfinder application for user-friendly chemometric analysis and additional enhancements to analytical workflows

Important step towards improving diagnosis and treatment of brain metastases

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: