Chemical jab catches worst breast tumours

A MAGNETISED injection could help identify women with aggressive breast cancer tumours.

The cancer cells rely on pyruvate – a chemical formed in the body from the breakdown of sugars – for fuel, and the most aggressive tumours use it up at a faster rate.

Scientists from the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute injected the chemical and made it magnetic so it showed up on an MRI scan. More aggressive tumours used up pyruvate quicker and converted it to a chemical called lactate.

Both chemicals were made to glow red or yellow on a black and white MRI scan. The brighter the scan the more dangerous the cancer.

The process could one day be used to identify women whose chemotherapy is not working, allowing them to be fast-tracked for surgery before their cancer spreads.