Scientists from the university, in collaboration with NHS Grampian, used a prototype version of the new Field Cycling Imager (FCI) scanner to examine the breast tissue of patients newly diagnosed with cancer.
A new scanner which can distinguish tumour material from healthy tissue more accurately than current methods could change the way breast cancer is diagnosed and treated, researchers have said.
“My colleagues in the University of Aberdeen built the world’s first clinical MRI in the 1970s so it is both fitting and exciting that we are making waves again with an entirely new type of MRI called Fast Cycling MRI – FCI.
While similar to MRI in that MRI uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body without touching it, the FCI scanner can vary the strength of the magnetic field during the patient’s scan.
“We treat between 400 and 500 women with breast cancer in NHS Grampian every year and the potential this technology has to reduce the need for women to return for extra surgery is huge, benefiting them and reducing wait times and operating theatre resource.
