H. A. Abella

Findings of a study by researchers in Italy suggest C-11 choline PET/CT could diagnose prostate cancer recurrence sooner than transrectal ultrasound, CT, MRI, or bone scintigraphy in patients who have undergone radical prostatectomy.

Negative perceptions and tough economic times keep women away from screening programs, but self-examination still highly rated.

A new technique, ultrasonic tissue-type imaging, could revolutionize the detection and treatment of prostate cancer, according to Ernest J. Feleppa, PhD, research director of the Frederic L. Lizzi Center for Biomedical Engineering at the Riverside Research Institute in New York. “The method seems to be capable of distinguishing cancerous from noncancerous tissue in the prostate,” Dr. Feleppa said

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have joined the ranks of virtual colonoscopy (VC or CT colonography [CTC]) advocates to pressure the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reverse a proposal to deny reimbursement for VC screening. Proponents argue that the policy could widen existing colon cancer screening inequalities.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has opened a new chapter in the practice of PET with the announcement for a national Medicare payment policy that expands coverage of PET scans in the initial treatment strategy of most solid cancers and for myelo

Diffusion-weighted MRI added to standard T2-weighted scans can help spot cervical cancer in its early stages. A preliminary study from the Institute of Cancer Research in London determined that DWI can spot tumors missed by T2 imaging and bolster management options for women who wish to preserve reproductive organs.

CHICAGO-Results from the largest and longest trial of its kind suggest that patients with intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinomas who undergo systematic treatment with three chemotherapeutic agents and arterial embolization plus imaging follow-up have better survival rates than those who undergo nonstandardized chemoembolization regimes.

A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services advisory panel has found that most available clinical data for nine conditionally approved cancer indications of FDG-PET, evaluated by the National Oncologic PET Registry (NOPR) and a separate Canadian study, are too ambivalent to support Medicare coverage.

News of Sen. Edward Kennedy’s diagnosis with a malignant glioma shocked the nation. It has also raised awareness about the grim prognosis associated with this type of brain tumor. A new study conducted by the American College of Radiology’s Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) could bring hope to glioma patients.

A meta-analysis by Australian and European researchers indicates that MR staging identifies additional disease in nearly one of five women previously diagnosed with breast cancer. It also suggests that women may undergo more extensive surgeries than originally planned because of false-positive MR findings.

Following its charge to reduce costly imaging overutilization, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced more stringent prohibitions against self-referral practices.

A new study based on nearly a quarter million mammograms suggests screening mammography with computer-aided detection is more sensitive than double reads. The findings contradict a key study published last year questioning CAD's effectiveness. CAD's potential for yielding too many false positives remains controversial. Radiologists argue its misuse drives up recall rates and, with them, the number of unwarranted biopsies and overall mammography costs.

In a surprising discovery, reported at RSNA 2007, researchers from Germany have found that whole-body staging of patients with recently diagnosed malignant melanoma using either MRI or PET/CT could miss a substantial number of metastatic lesions

Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy have not noticed a restriction in their access to treatment following the enactment of the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003

A major issue facing radiologists who use computer-aided detection systems for early detection of lung cancer is deciding when a CAD finding truly represents malignancy.

An Arizona woman will always remember the incident that was nearly as frightening as learning that she had cancer. The incident was being left inside a PET/CT scanner after the imaging center was locked up and staff had gone for the day.

FDG-PET performed after two cycles of standard chemotherapy can accurately predict which patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma will respond or relapse