PET market shrinks, procedures rise
Although demand for PET scans has slowed in the past two years, the number of PET procedures grew 7% in 2008, according to a new report by the market research firm Bio-Tech Systems. U.S. sales of PET scanners, however, declined 14% compared with 2007, continuing a downward trend that began in 2006. Worldwide orders for PET scanners were down about 7%. Declining sales will reverse direction in the coming years, with annual unit sales in the U.S. growing by about a third and worldwide sales doubling, according to Bio-Tech Systems. Driving demand will be an expected tripling in patient volume by 2016.

Siemens evolves treatment planning
Next week Siemens Healthcare will debut software that adapts cancer treatment plans to suit anatomical changes seen during image-guided therapy. Appearing July 26 to 30 at the American Association of Physicists in Medicine meeting, IM-RealART Solution is one of the first real-time adaptive radiation therapy packages, according to Siemens. Treatment plans can be adjusted to fit new data in about ten minutes without having to reposition patients. The new software takes advantage of existing image-guided technologies that identify shape changes in a patient’s anatomy between treatments. It is designed specifically for treatment replanning within image-guided radiation therapy, combining Siemens CTVision system with its PROWESS RealART Treatment Planning System.

Software analyses tumor blood supply
Software that visualizes and measures blood supply to cancer tumors promises improved diagnosis and assessment of treatment efficacy. Developed through a collaboration between London-based Biotronics3D and the UK’s Institute of Cancer Research, 3D Net Perfusion extracts data from MR images of tumors. It is currently in use at 10 research centers.

Philips CT reaches milestone
Philips Healthcare has placed its 100th Brilliance iCT at Fletcher Allen Health Care at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington, Vermont. The 256-slice system, now operating at the facility, is being used in brain perfusion and neuro CTA as well as routine body imaging, bariatric and cardiovascular imaging.