Vitamin B12 can help in detecting cancers

In some of the cancer patients the Tumors can't be easily deected. A new procedure being done at Mayo Clinic using vitamin B12 that helps doctors locate hard to find tumors. During the processes a patient is injected with radioactive vitamin B12. After three hours a gamma camera takes pictures of the body. Dr. Collins treated a patient with breast cancer and he says that, "The cancer stands out as a bright spot in the breast. It's very easy to detect."

This is especially important in women with dense breasts whose cancer isn't always visible in a mammogram, "because we can't see through the breast with mammograms as well as in women with fatty replaced breasts," says Dr. Collins. Dr. Collins says the B12 test has only been used on a small group of patients, and more studies are needed. He adds the treatment could be helpful in other cancer patients including those with thyroid, brain, lung, colon, bone and prostate cancers, and also lymphoma.