
Around 1 in 5 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK take part in a clinical trial.
This study compared MRI scans with PET-CT scans to see how well chemotherapy for non Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma was working.
This study was open between 2014 and 2017 for people to join. These results were written up in 2018.
Doctors use chemotherapy to treat non Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma. During treatment they use CT scans or PET-CT scans to see if the treatment was working.
For these scans you need to have a small amount of either as a drink or injection.
In this study the researchers wanted to see if they could use a particular type of MRI scan called Diffusion Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging. It looks at the movement of water which shows up differently in cancer tissue and healthy tissue. So you don’t need to have any radioactive substance for this scan.
The team wanted to see if the Diffusion Weighted Magnetic Resonance Scan could predict how well chemotherapy was working.
The researchers found that the MRI scan was able to show how well chemotherapy was working.
About this study
11 people joined this study. Everyone had a PET-CT scan and an MRI scan:
Results
The researchers compared the PET-CT scans and the MRI scans of each person:
They found that the PET-CT scans and the MRI scans at both times showed the same result for everyone.
Conclusion
These results suggest that an MRI scan was able to show how well chemotherapy worked. But the number of people in this study was small and a larger study with more people would confirm this.
Where this information comes from
We have based this summary on information from the research team. As far as we are aware, the information they sent us has not been reviewed independently () or published in a medical journal yet. The figures we quote above were provided by the research team. We have not analysed the data ourselves.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Dr Shireen Kassam
Elimination of Leukaemia Fund
King's College London
Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
NIHR Clinical Research Network: Cancer
Freephone 0808 800 4040
Around 1 in 5 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK take part in a clinical trial.