Mammography

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Doppler ultrasound breast tumor exams conducted prior to chemotherapy can reliably predict the outcome of treatment, according to research conducted in India. Most breast cancer is treated with chemotherapy prior to surgery. The traditional way to assess the success of this chemotherapy is to study tissue samples collected at surgery. In this study, researchers developed a scoring method using Doppler ultrasound to predict chemotherapy success.

Both ultrasound alone and ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy of lymph nodes are reliable ways to stage invasive lobular carcinoma, a form of breast cancer occurring in only 10% to 15% of cases. Although preoperative assessment can be quite challenging with this cancer, research from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston found ultrasound to be as effective for staging invasive lobular carcinoma as it is for the more common invasive ductal carcinoma.

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Hologic sets vote on Cytyc mergerRADinfo launches DICOMmail Ultrasonix signs distributor

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Medical organization nixes CT lung screeningAnalysts predict boom in breast disease managementForesight digitizes legacy scanners

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Cedara turns I-ReadMammo into plug-inResearch highlights benefits of CT colonographyPatient Comfort pads MR breast biopsies

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RadNet adds three imaging centersNightHawk-sponsored survey lauds providerLaser breast scanner lands in MalaysiaEuropean sites embrace Carestream DR

Large-screen photographs of cotton bolls, snakeskin, cacti, and trees saddled with the overgrowth of new limbs often star in provocative lectures about early-stage breast cancer by Dr. Laszlo Tabar, a pioneer in mammography education.

A 10-year study of imaging volume demands on a PACS at the Medical University of South Carolina shows how significant a factor multislice CT has become in image data storage.

Naviscan PET Systems hopes to ride a building wave of interest in new breast imaging technologies with its high-resolution, small field-of-view positron system. The FDA-cleared device has obvious application as an adjunct in the diagnosis of breast cancer. But it may be able to do much more.

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Selenia trumps film mammographyVarian wins multiunit Danish orderNeurodiagnostics upgrades fMRI unit

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FDA nod sends GE Senographe to the streetIBA settles patent battleDel Global expands exec’s dutiesPACS service model attracts new provider

Competitors to x-ray mammography may be mounting a serious challenge to the long-standing technology. Research has determined that MR and nuclear medicine can detect ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which can develop into an invasive form of breast cancer, much earlier than mammography can.

Radiologists may be adept at rejecting hundreds of false positives flagged by computer-aided detection software, but they also have a strong tendency to dismiss correctly identified cancers, mistakenly believing the findings are benign, according to new research.

Big-ticket items are suffering this year as reimbursement cuts resulting from the Deficit Reduction Act have had a wider and longer lasting effect than initially expected. Particularly hard hit has been PET/CT. The hybrid juggernaut had defied the odds for several years, marching forward with ever higher sales despite utilization rates at individual sites that allowed plenty of unused capacity.

The latest lung CAD software offers high sensitivity and minimizes false positives greatly. But the lack of full integration with PACS continues to stall routine clinical use in some centers.

For nearly a decade, radiologists have used breast ultrasound as an adjunct to x-ray mammography to avoid unnecessary biopsies in equivocal cancer cases. Now ultrasound innovations that increase image resolution while decreasing operator dependence are reflected in a study published in the July issue of Radiology.

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Hologic unveils biopsy markersCAD boosts virtual colonographyEDAP appoints medical director

Myriad Genetics is the only place to go for BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation testing. The Salt Lake City biopharmaceutical company has a monopoly on the test. Its scientists discovered the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in 1996 and patented their use for assessing the risk of genetically related cancer.

Case Of The Month

Back pain and weakness of both legs had bothered this 60-year-old woman for one week. Left breast cancer, stage 2, had been diagnosed two years before, and she subsequently underwent a lumpectomy followed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

An iCAD computer-aided detection software package achieves high sensitivity with both computed radiography and full-field digital mammography, according to two new studies presented at the 2007 American Roentgen Ray Society meeting. In the same session, however, Dr. Edward Sickles warned that such positive studies may reflect optimal use and that radiologists should ensure they apply CAD software properly.

With a $6 billion dollar deal to merge with Cytyc in the wings, Hologic has struck yet another one that will cost much less. But like the Cytyc deal, it will complement Hologic’s existing portfolio of women’s healthcare products.