Once injected, it can highlight cancers that appear not to be responding to therapy. 'At present, there is no other imaging method that can achieve this,' Everitt said.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. The typical time of survival of patients after diagnosis is less than two years, so improved treatments are needed.

'If we observe a particularly aggressive tumour that grows rapidly during treatment, we can adapt treatment delivery based on the individual's response,' Everitt said.

'This might mean administering the treatment more quickly, or giving a higher radiation dose. Overall, we hope this will improve outcomes and survival of patients with lung cancer and possibly patients with other cancers.'

'These scans may also provide us with information that suggests some cancers are not responding to therapy. These patients could then be switched to a different treatment without delay,' Everitt said.