Two recently published PET studies reveal the ways in which molecular imaging can be used to treat difficult cases of breast cancer. The first deals with an imaging agent that targets estrogen receptors (ER) in ER-positive breast cancer patients with formerly inconclusive assessments, and the second highlights the ability of 18F-FDG to help predict the prognosis for patients undergoing chemotherapy for a very aggressive type of breast cancer. Both studies were published in the February issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and AstraZeneca have formed a three-year collaborative research agreement that will apply molecular imaging technologies to generate new diagnostic imaging tools.
Bioscan, a developer of preclinical imaging systems, has established a subsidiary in Dijon, France, Bioscan Molecular Imaging France.
GE Healthcare has paid the U.S. $30 million, plus interest, to settle allegations that a company it acquired in 2004, Amersham Health, had violated the False Claims Act by causing Medicare to overpay for Myoview, a radiopharmaceutical used in certain cardiac diagnostic imaging procedures, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
FDG uptake of thymus measured by PET/CT is an effective indicator for the differentiation of mediastinal lymphoma from normal thymus in pediatric patients, according to a study published online Dec. 12 in Radiology.
Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle have received a $7 million five-year renewal grant award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Cancer Institute (NCI) to continue research in molecular imaging of cancer and its response to therapy. This new award is funded through 2016.
Royal Philips Electronics has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for its whole-body PET/MR imaging system, the Ingenuity TF PET/MR. The system was on display at the 97th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), Nov. 27 to Dec. 2.
CHICAGO--Though bone metastases in neuroendocrine tumors are usually sclerotic with increased bone volume, CT alone depicts only 43 percent of Ga-68-DOTATOC/DOTANOC-positive bone lesions, according to a retrospective analysis presented Nov. 29 at the Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
CHICAGO—Due to changes in CPT coding and fee schedules that have reduced reimbursement for stress tests and coronary CT angiography (CCTA) in the 2009 through 2011 Medicare fee schedules, triage strategies that begin with stress EKG or stress echocardiography and progress to CCTA (if the stress test is positive) represent the least expensive options, and are more cost-effective relative to strategies that utilize myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, according to a study presented Nov. 30 at the 97th annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
CHICAGO—18F-FLT PET presented much higher specificity than 18F-FDG PET for detecting uterine malignant tumor, and FLT PET correlated to cell proliferation better than FDG PET, based on a small Japanese study presented Nov. 29 at the 97th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
CHICAGO – Mechanistic imaging, which leverages imaging to understand the pathophysiology of disease, will project the specialty of radiology another leap forward, said A. Gregory Sorensen, MD, co-director of Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and CEO of Siemens Healthcare USA, during the Pendergrass New Horizons Lecture Nov. 28 at the 97th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
CHICAGO--With atherosclerosis-related diseases estimated to cost more than $500 billion in the U.S. in 2010, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of vascular disease are critical priorities. Existing and emerging imaging tools show great promise in helping the diagnosis of atherosclerosis, said Zahi A. Fayad, PhD, professor of radiology and cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, during the opening session panel at the 97th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) on Nov. 27.
Molecular imaging company Positron has signed a letter of intent to buy Manhattan Isotope Technology (MIT), a strontium-82 (SR-82) product specialist, for an undisclosed amount.
Following a two-day public hearing, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission announced its decision Oct. 27 to renew the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's (AECL) Chalk River Laboratories operating license for a period of five years. The license will be valid from Nov. 1 until Oct. 31, 2016.
Patients seeking information about nuclear medicine and molecular imaging can now access discoverMI.org, a patient-focused website launched by the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM).
The Society of Nuclear Medicine has announced the theme for this year’s Nuclear Medicine Week, Oct. 2-8, is “Visualizing a Brighter and Healthier Tomorrow,” and released a toolkit for nuclear and molecular imaging professionals.
Written by Jim Brice
One of the variables with the effects of cancer is hypoxia, and a PET-based imaging technique may be capable of measuring and mapping it. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis are focusing on two aspects of the investigational PET probe Cu-62 ATSM for hypoxia imaging.
The Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) has announced the recipients of the 2011-2013 SNM Wagner-Torizuka Fellowship, which is a two-year fellowship designed to provide extensive training and experience in the fields of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging for Japanese physicians in the early stages of their careers.
As part of a $4.5 million, nine-year effort to employ molecular imaging and nanotechnology in developing “theragnosis”—simultaneous diagnostics and therapeutics—partnering research teams from Purdue University’s Discovery Park and the Korean Institute of Science and Technology will hold a daylong symposium, Sept. 6, in West Lafayette, Ind.
18F-fluoroestradiol (FES) PET can assess the in vivo pharmacodynamics of estrogen receptor (ER)-targeted agents and may give insight into the activity of established therapeutic agents, according to a study in the August issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
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