Shalmali Pal

A long-term study of breast imaging in Massachusetts has confirmed what mammographers have argued for years: older adult women who do not receive regular screening mammography are far more likely to die of breast cancer than women who routinely undergo the procedure.

Low-dose CT lung cancer screening carries a high burden of false-positive results after only two rounds of testing, according to a presentation at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology.

DENVER -- In 1974, Joseph Fraumeni Jr., MD, MSc, served as a member of the AACR annual meeting program committee. “At the time, epidemiology did not have a prominent place on the program,” Dr. Fraumeni said during the grand opening session of the 2009 AACR meeting. “In fact, only one abstract related to epidemiology was submitted, and it was mine. Since it was assigned to me for review, I promptly accepted my presentation.”

Clinical trials in oncology demand standardized measurements of imaging scans to assess treatment response, but, unfortunately, the existing clinical workflow is not designed to produce these cohesive measurements on a routine basis. A group from Dana Farber Cancer Center has proposed using imaging analysts to deliver more consistent results.

Oncology patients have a fourfold risk above the general population of developing pulmonary embolism. If the patient is receiving chemotherapy, the risk is even greater. Irish radiologists have found that imaging these patients with thin-slice CT during routine staging or restaging can pinpoint clinically unsuspected pulmonary embolism.

Prostate-specific antigen measurements are considered a useful organ-specific marker, but they are not necessarily an adequate tumor marker. PET/CT in combination with PSA levels can play a significant role in detecting and staging prostate cancer, according to two presentations Sunday at RSNA 2008.

RSNA presentations on prostate cancer staging and treatment, along with talks on radiation therapy for thoracic malignancies, have piqued the interest of cancer care specialists. But in general, oncologists and radiation oncologists conveyed some reservations about this year’s offerings in oncologic imaging and therapies.

Cystic lesions of the pancreas tend to be a phenomenon of aging. These lesions tend to be benign, but sorting out the small number with potential for malignancy is important.

Many imagers focus on limiting dose, but presentation looks at plusses from a little bit of radiation exposure When it comes to radiation dose, the news media, and the general public by extension, zero in one aspect only: risk, risk, and more risk. But what about any potential positive effects of exposure to ionizing radiation? In a talk at the Stanford Multidetector- Row CT symposium in Las Vegas, Cynthia McCollough, Ph.D., took on the task of scientifically demonstrating that some level of radiation exposure may be a good thing.

Despite setbacks in the laboratory and the press, multislice CT as a possible screening test for lung cancer continues to provoke strong interest in anticipation of findings from randomized multicenter clinical trials that may ultimately judge its value.

It is a safe bet that conventional mammography will give way to 3D imaging and other advanced technologies in the not-too-distant future. The gamble lies in picking which technology will emerge the clear winner as the primary screening tool for breast cancer: digital breast tomosynthesis or dedicated breast CT.

Screening ultrasound paired with mammography improved breast cancer detection in high-risk women, but the combination also caused a spike in the number of false positives, according to an update to the American College of Radiology Imaging Network 6666 trial. These results may render ultrasound less attractive than MRI in this patient population.

Preliminary study establishes PET/CT effectiveness for evaluating cancer after a negative CT finding Surgery has been the standard for cervical cancer staging for more than three decades, despite leading to complications, especially when followed by radiation therapy. Evidence continues to accumulate, however, indicating that PET studies may be up to the pretreatment challenge presented by the second leading cause of cancer mortality in women worldwide.

Treatment inside a two-year window and a prostate-specific antigen doubling time of less than six months may be the key factors in optimizing salvage radiotherapy results for recurrent prostate cancer, according to investigators from the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

A new study finds that CT screening can reduce lung cancer mortality among smokers but won’t protect them from the other adverse effects of lighting up.

Posterior fossa anomalies detected on fetal MR imaging should be confirmed with postnatal imaging, according to a study in the June American Journal of Roentgenology. Investigators from the U.S. and Canada found significant discrepancies between fetal and postnatal posterior fossa findings on MRI.

A national registry for thermal ablation treatment for breast cancer is under consideration by the FDA. The agency opened a six-month public comment period this week on the proposed registry, which would compile information on all thermal ablation devices and therapies for small carcinomas.

Short-interval follow-up is most often suggested for women whose diagnostic mammograms are flagged as probably benign. But this second look at 12 months has a low sensitivity for detecting cancer, according to a study in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Angiographic embolization is deployed routinely for colonic hemorrhage and hemobilia, but it has received limited attention for treating upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding. An international group of surgeons and radiologists evaluated the safety and efficacy of angiographic embolization for GI hemorrhage and found that it can be used in a select group of patients.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is now accepting public comments on national coverage for CT colonography. Comments will be accepted through June 18, 2008, at the CMS web site.

Cystic lesions of the pancreas tend to be a phenomenon of aging. By and large, these lesions are benign, but sorting out the small number that have potential for malignancy is important.

Persistent ground-glass nodules in the lungs are worth a closer look, as they are highly associated with malignancy. Dr. Anne Leung offered an overview of how these lesions present on CT imaging at the 2008 Stanford International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT in Las Vegas.

A comprehensive CT evaluation of the abdomen requires analysis of the mesenteric vasculature above and beyond the axial plane, according to Dr. Elliot Fishman, director of diagnostic radiology and body CT at Johns Hopkins University and Hospital.

A trip through the MR scanner can wreak havoc with implantable cardiac devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators. But this kind of interference may not be limited to MR imaging, according to Cynthia McCollough, Ph.D.

CT multitasks in the lungs, serving as a tool for cancer screening, disease diagnosis, lesion characterization, and lung cancer treatment response. In a talk at the 2008 Stanford International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT in Las Vegas, Michael McNitt-Gray, Ph.D., posited that CT can be used more effectively to assess treatment response in lung cancer patients, but clinicians must look beyond current response parameters.

Logistical and reimbursement limitations dictate that most CT exams be performed on an outpatient basis, making it difficult to manage contrast-related reactions, especially in patients with renal insufficiency. Oral hydration may be as effective as intravenous fluids for preventing contrast-induced nephropathy in some instances, but further study is needed.

Faster and better visualization are the main reasons to use dual-energy CT for the assessment of pancreatic masses, according to a presentation at the Stanford International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT in Las Vegas.

Cystic lesions of the pancreas tend to be a phenomenon of aging. By and large, these lesions are benign, but sorting out the small number that have potential for malignancy is important.

When it comes to radiation dose, the news media, and the general public by extension, zero in on one aspect only: risk, risk, and more risk. But what about any potential positive effects of exposure to ionizing radiation? In a talk at the Stanford MDCT symposium in Las Vegas, Cynthia McCollough, Ph.D., took on the task of scientifically demonstrating that some level of radiation exposure may be a good thing.