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Most people are aware that anti-cancer treatments often have negative side effects, but patients are willing to tolerate these side effects for the potential life-saving effects of the treatment. However, some patients treated with the anti-cancer drug 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) will have fatal reactions typically caused by cardiotoxicity. A life-saving diagnostic test to identify cancer patients who may experience 5-FU toxicity has been developed by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Most people are aware that anti-cancer treatments often have negative side effects, but patients are willing to tolerate these side effects for the potential life-saving effects of the treatment. However, some patients treated with the anti-cancer drug 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) will have fatal reactions typically caused by cardiotoxicity. A life-saving diagnostic test to identify cancer patients who may experience 5-FU toxicity has been developed by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is an MRI method that produces in vivo magnetic resonance images of biological tissues sensitized with the localized and contrasting characteristics of water diffusion, producing microscopic images of tissues. Water molecules become excited when exposed to a strong magnetic field, which causes the protons in water molecules to move in a coordinated and precise way. The intensity of each image element (voxel) reflects the best estimate of the rate of water diffusion at that location.

A tissue microarray (TMA) is an important technique used by pathologists to accurately analyze tissue samples. It is a means of aggregating tissue samples in an organized grid fashion for high throughput analysis. Automated TMAs are commercially available, but they are expensive ($16,000-$230,000) and require specialized training and experience to apply the technology.