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Positron emission tomography (PET) scans can track the progression of HIV and could lead to new treatment options and the development of the next generation of AIDS drugs, according to two recent studies. PET scans, usually used to identify cancerous tumors, could help fight AIDS by identifying the virus' impact on lymph nodes, which could be treated with radiotherapy or surgery.

Researchers took whole-body PET scans of 15 HIV patients and found fairly distinct sites of immune response during different stages of the disease. The scans showed that during early HIV, lymph nodes in the head and neck were activated, but in later stages the virus stimulated an immune response in areas of the torso and later in the bowel. Surgery or radiotherapy would open up a new approach to treating HIV/AIDS.

Other scientists who also used PET scans to track HIV progression said lymph node removal could give patients an opportunity for a break in antiretroviral treatment: "Although many systemic sites from which latent virus could be re-activated would be left, re-activation might not occur for months or years after removal of the active nodes, thereby allowing extended interruption of treatment," the scientists noted.

Editor's Note: from Reuters