Cancer News: Radiology/Nuclear Medicine

• Valuable Tool In Lung Cancer Screening - Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery
  The most recent research released in June's Journal of Thoracic Oncology says video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is a valuable tool in managing lesions detected in a lung cancer screening program...
    Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Proper Radiotherapy Targeting While The Patient Is Breathing
  Radiotherapists are constantly battling in order to administer the correct dose of radiotherapy, as respiratory movement during radiotherapy poses a certain risk that a tumor receives either a dose that is insufficient, or the surrounding healthy tissue is being subjected to a potentially toxic over-dose. Dr...
    Tue, 15 May 2012 15:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Cervical Cancer Patients Avoid Hysterectomies With Help Of 3-D Imaging Techniques
  A study presented by Dr. Renaud Mazeron at the World Congress of Brachytherapy reveals that many cases of hysterectomy, as well as recurrence and spreading of cancer of the cervix can be controlled effectively by delivering radiotherapy directly to the cancer with 3-D imaging techniques...
    Tue, 15 May 2012 06:00:00 PDT
  
  

• HPV Positive Throat Cancer Responds Well To Just Radiotherapy
  New research from Denmark, presented at the 31st Conference of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO31), revealed that even though the human papilloma virus (HPV) can trigger throat cancer, non-smoking or light smoking HPV-positive patients respond well to radiotherapy treatment alone without requiring harmful chemotherapy in addition...
    Tue, 15 May 2012 06:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Computerized 'Virtual Cleansing' Accurate, Negates Need For Laxatives In Colonoscopy
  A CT-scan-based form of virtual colonoscopy that does not require laxative preparation appears to be as effective as standard colonoscopy in identifying the intestinal polyps most likely to become cancerous...
    Tue, 15 May 2012 02:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Unnecessary CT Scans Reduced In ER Patients With Abdominal Pain
  A new electronic medical record tool that tallies patients' previous radiation exposure from CT scans helps reduce potentially unnecessary use of the tests among emergency room patients with abdominal pain, according to a study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine...
    Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Cancer In The Elderly: Research Fails To Keep Up With Demographic Change
  New research showing that almost half of 13,000 patients with head and neck cancers had other health-related problems at the same time was one of the presentations in a special session at the 31st conference of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO 31) [1]. The session highlighted the effect of the demographic time bomb caused by an increasingly ageing population...
    Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT
  
  

• In Early Stage Breast Cancer, Highly Targeted Irradiation As Good As Whole Breast Radiotherapy
  Using a concentrated, highly targeted dose of radiation to the breast has equally good results as irradiating the whole area, with no adverse effects on survival and a much better cosmetic outcome, Hungarian researchers have found...
    Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT
  
  

• How To Hit The Treatment Target And Breathe Without Causing Collateral Damage During Radiotherapy
  Respiratory movement during radiotherapy makes it difficult to hit the right treatment target and this in turn can lead to an under-dose of radiation to the tumour, or a potentially toxic over-dose to the surrounding healthy tissue...
    Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT
  
  

• How To Overcome Poor Response To Radiotherapy Caused By Low Haemoglobin Levels
  Patients with head and neck cancer and a low haemoglobin (Hb) level do not respond well to radiotherapy and therefore both control of their tumour and disease-free survival are compromised...
    Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Using Stem Cell Therapy For Neck And Head Cancers Avoids Salivary Gland Damage Caused By Radiotherapy
  Approximately 40% of individuals treated for head and neck cancer experience the distressing adverse-effects of dry mouth syndrome. However, researchers in the Netherlands may have found a way to prevent impairing salivary glands during radiotherapy treatment...
    Fri, 11 May 2012 10:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Radiotherapy Alone Better For HPV-Positive Throat Cancer Patients Than HPV-Negative Patients
  New findings from a large Danish database of cancer patients suggest that, even though the human papilloma virus (HPV) can trigger throat cancer, patients who are HPV-positive and are light smokers, or don't smoke at all, have a good response to treatment using radiotherapy alone, without the addition of chemotherapy with its consequent toxic side-effects...
    Fri, 11 May 2012 01:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Hysterectomies May Be Avoided For Cervical Cancer Patients Using 3-D Image Guided Brachytherapy
  Delivering radiotherapy directly to cancer of the cervix using 3-D imaging techniques is effective at controlling the return and spread of the disease and, in most cases, avoids the need for hysterectomies, according to research presented at the World Congress of Brachytherapy [1 & 2]...
    Fri, 11 May 2012 01:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Salivary Gland Damage In Head And Neck Cancer May Be Avoided By Stem Cell Sparing Radiotherapy
  Researchers believe they may have found a way to avoid damaging salivary glands during radiotherapy treatment for head and neck cancer - a discovery that could improve the quality of life of 500,000 patients a year worldwide with the disease...
    Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Changes In Technology, Clinical Practice Prompt Updated Recommendations For Modern Cardiac Cath Labs
  Modern cardiac catheterization laboratories bear scant resemblance to the cath labs of a decade ago. An updated consensus statement offers physicians guidance on how to excel in this new diagnostic and therapeutic milieu, with specific recommendations on setting up, operating and maintaining the highest standards of quality in a contemporary cardiac catheterization laboratory...
    Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Locating Rare Pancreatic Tumors With New Imaging Technique
  A non-invasive way to detect the exact location of very small life-threatening tumors in the pancreas (insulinomas) has been discovered by a team of researchers in Switzerland. This new technique will help surgeons to successfully remove the tumors that can be less than 1 centimeter in diameter...
    Wed, 09 May 2012 10:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Brachytherapy Effective In Early Stage Breast Cancer In Milk Ducts
  A new study reveals that women with early-stage breast cancer in the milk ducts that has not metastasized to healthy surrounding breast tissue (ductal carcinoma in situ [DCIS]) appear to benefit from undergoing breast brachytherapy with a strut-based applicator. The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, held in Phoenix May 2 to May 4...
    Tue, 08 May 2012 14:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Study Examines Necessity Of Additional Imaging In PET/CT Oncologic Reports
  Radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians recommended additional imaging about 30% of the time in oncologic PET/CT reports, with about half of those recommendations being unnecessary, a new study shows. The study, conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, included 250 patients. The study found that there were 84 recommendations made for additional imaging...
    Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT
  
  

• SPECT/CT Improves Staging And Risk Stratification Of Thyroid Cancer
  The use of single positron emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) has been reported to change clinical management in a significant number of thyroid cancer patients according to research presented in the May issue of /iThe Journal of Nuclear Medicine...
    Mon, 07 May 2012 01:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Cervical Spine CT Not Necessary In Cases Of Simple Assault And Ground Level Falls
  Cervical spine CT examinations are unnecessary for emergency department (ED) patients who are a victim of "simple assault" or who have a "ground-level fall", unless the patient has a condition that predisposes the patient to spine fracture, a new study finds...
    Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Patient Recall Rates Reduced By 40 Percent With Digital Breast Tomosynthesis
  Adding digital breast tomosynthesis to 2D mammography screening results in a 40% reduction in patient recall rates compared to routine screening mammography alone, a new study shows. The study, conducted at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, CT, of 7,578 screening mammograms, found that the recall rate was 6.6% for digital breast tomosynthesis plus 2D screening mammography...
    Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Advanced Radiotherapy Linked To Improved Survival Rates Among Elderly Lung Cancer Patients
  The latest issue of the journal Annals of Oncology reports that a major new study by one of the country's leading cancer centers, the VU University Medical Center (VUMC) in Amsterdam has revealed that widespread use of advanced radiotherapy techniques in the Netherlands has resulted in improved survival rates amongst elderly lung cancer patients...
    Fri, 04 May 2012 15:00:00 PDT
  
  

• In Emergency Departments, Some Stroke Victims Not Receiving Timely Diagnosis, Care
  The mantra in stroke care is "time is brain." With each passing minute more brain cells are irretrievably lost and, because of this, timely diagnosis and treatment is essential to increase the chances for recovery...
    Fri, 04 May 2012 01:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Has Potential To Revive Abandoned Cancer Drug Wortmannin
  Current nanomedicine research has focused on the delivery of established and novel therapeutics. But a UNC team is taking a different approach. They developed nanoparticle carriers to successfully deliver therapeutic doses of a cancer drug that had previously failed clinical development due to pharmacologic challenges...
    Fri, 04 May 2012 01:00:00 PDT
  
  

• Imaging Agent Flutemetamol Presented At Neurology Meeting
  Results from 4 pooled brain biopsy studies, as well as results from a brain autopsy study of the investigational PET amyloid imaging agent, [18F]flutemetamol, were presented as part of the Emerging Science Program at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans in April, 2012...
    Thu, 03 May 2012 09:00:00 PDT