In a skeptical world, old maxims fall hard. Photojournalists can attest to that. Seeing today is anything but believing. Not seeing has fallen just as hard. We’d like to know that we can relax when we don’t see signs of cancer’s return. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) provides that kind of relief in many cases…but not all.

Although it has become the gold standard in oncology diagnosis and monitoring, PET/CT falls short in some cases. And, in those cases, its use can create a false sense of security.

S.M.A.R.T. Control Vascular Stent

fibroglandular densities, dense breasts,
fibroglandular densities, dense breasts,
fibroglandular densities, dense breasts, breast cancer
fibroglandular densities, dense breasts, breast cancer
fibroglandular densities, dense breasts, breast cancer
fibroglandular densities, dense breasts, breast cancer
womens_health_map
Figure 1: Risk level determined by a standardized risk assessment tool.

Since the implementation of routine screening mammography, we have seen a 30 percent reduction in breast cancer mortality. Despite these results, mammography remains at the center of controversy, with seemingly conflicting studies on its effectiveness published on a regular basis.  

“If I lived in a community without 3D mammography, I would strongly advocate my family go to a community offering the 3D exam,” states David Siepmann, M.D., radiologist at Willamette Valley Medical Center. A community hospital located 35 miles south of Portland, Ore., Willamette Valley Medical Center was the first breast center in the state to offer 3D mammography. In the first year, the hospital saw a 21 percent decrease in the overall recall rate and found a number of cancers it might have missed with conventional 2D mammography.


With 2013 on the horizon, ITN looks to see what issues and trends are likely to be prominent for medical imaging in the coming months. Industry experts from several professional societies and organizations gave their input about topics that will be at the forefront in 2013 and their expected impact across major industry segments.

In a comparison of patients with Stage-1 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) during the period 1999-2008, those in the last four years of that period who received radiation therapy had a median survival rate of 21 months, which was markedly better than the 16-month rate among similar patients in the first four years. These study results were presented by lead author Nirav S. Kapadia, M.D., chief resident, department of radiation oncology, University of Michigan Medical School, during the 2012 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology. 

 
5 Benefits of a VNA Solution

The management of patient information has taken a turn toward complexity with the advent of the new healthcare delivery models as proposed by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC), meaningful use (MU) and healthcare reform — specifically: Portability and interoperability. The silo and proprietary system model that has served providers for years has been demolished and replaced with a paradigm that requires the sharing of information with affiliated and nonaffiliated providers. The solutions to manage this interoperability are as vast as the HIMSS exhibit hall.

Mobile devices have become a part of everyday life. The cell phone has become as important as your wallet to take with you wherever you go. Some would argue that it’s even more essential now that handheld computers have morphed into a ubiquitous Internet access device for most physicians. 

 
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