News • Pediatric Radiology
Medical imaging raises blood cancer risk in young patients
Study of 3.7 million children reveals small but significant increased risk of blood cancers from medical imaging radiation, with CT scans posing highest risk
Search for: "Lymphomas" - 96 articles found
Article • Sustainable workflows
Designing the laboratory of the future
Laboratories across Europe are embracing sustainability through paperless workflows and automation. In this guest article, Gavin Hirst, Clinical Flow Cytometry Account Manager at Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, shares his thoughts on how digital transformation and eco-friendly practices not only advance climate goals but enhance efficiency, allowing scientists to focus on critical research rather…
News • Hybrid imaging
PET/MR update for added value in theranostics
Bringing diagnostics and therapy closer together - that is the basic concept behind theranostics. Through further development of its PET/MR scanners, Siemens Healthineers aims to advance this approach. Andreas Schneck, Head of the MRI Division at Siemens Healthineers, talks about the new system, which was also presented at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) in Vienna, and its advantages in…
Dr Ari Melnick
A new chapter in leukaemia and hematologic disease research
Dr Ari Melnick has been appointed the new Director of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute by the Board of Trustees. The institute specialises in biomedical research and precision medicine in the field of leukaemia and other hematologic malignancies.
News • Bioengineered scaffolds
New hydrogel to improve CAR T immunotherapy
Researchers developed biomimetic materials inspired by lymph nodes, which could improve cancer immunotherapy. The study highlights the potential of bioengineered scaffolds for cell-based therapies.
News • Rupture prevention
Breast implants: the importance of regular screenings
Women with breast implants should regularly attend follow-up care to avoid the risk of "silent" implant ruptures and their long-term complications, experts caution in a new publication.
News • Reduction of severe side-effects
A 'kinder' chemotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma
Treating patients with Hodgkin lymphoma with a different form of chemotherapy shows promise to reduce severe side effects, shorten hospital time and increase likelihood of recovering fertility.
News • New therapy approach for brain tumors
Attacking glioblastoma from multiple angles
A new approach to fight glioblastoma: Swiss researchers have now developed an immunotherapy that not only attacks the brain tumor—it also turns its microenvironment against it.
News • Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL)
Personalised simulations predict outcomes for blood cancer treatment
Using genomic sequencing data, researchers have created personalised simulations of individual patients that can quantify the impact of genetic mutations on cancer cell behaviour.
Sponsored • All in one scan
World's First Total-Body PET/CT with 194 cm Axial FOV installed in Europe
The IRCCS in Bologna has inaugurated a state-of-the-art integrated PET/CT system. This cutting-edge technology allows for the entire human body to be studied in a single scan, even detecting the smallest tumour cells.
News • Insights into ink
Study links tattoos with increased lymphoma risk
A new study suggests that tattoos could be a risk factor for cancer in the lymphatic system, or lymphoma. Now, the researchers underline the need for more research on the topic.
News • Voxel-wise classification
Deep learning tool uses MRI to enhance brain tumor diagnosis
A novel AI-based, non-invasive diagnostic tool enables accurate brain tumor diagnosis, outperforming current classification methods. The tool leverages MRI information to aid clinical decision making.
Article • Next-generation pathology
Multiplexed staining techniques in the fight against complex diseases
Bringing digital pathology together with novel multiplexed staining techniques may answer key questions about complex diseases. Pathologist Lukas Marcelis, MD, PhD, believes such combinations of technology will have benefits for clinicians and patients and can help unravel some of the mysteries surrounding a range of conditions.
News • Good killer cells
Cellular immunotherapy: a new approach against cancer
Chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery – these are the three common forms of cancer therapy. Now, lymphoma specialists in Essen are investigating the possibility of a different approach.
News • Tool for myeloid neoplasms
New test to identify risk of AML and related cancers
Using data from more than 400,000 individuals, researchers have created a platform for predicting the risk of developing blood cancers such as acute myeloid leukaemia over a 10-15-year period.
News • Biopharmaceutical business
Precision approach to significantly reduce R&D costs for cancer drugs
A new analysis exploring the finances of bringing new cancer drugs to market has found that precision oncology drugs could be $1 billion cheaper to develop than non-precision drugs.
News • Blood cancer research
Covid-19 booster vaccine strengthens immunity in lymphoma patients
Research by the University of Southampton has shown that repeated Covid-19 vaccination increases the ability of lymphoma patients to prevent infection from the virus, particularly after four doses.
Article • Cancer patients at risk
Blood test detects risk of neurotoxicity from CAR T-cell therapy
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is an immunotherapy treatment that re-engineers a patient’s own T-cells to help them attack malignant tumour cells. It has been very effective in the treatment of blood cancers, including certain types of leukaemia and lymphoma. However, two serious side effects are common as a result of the treatment: cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune…
News • Potential blood cancer treatment
CAR T cell therapy: study shows remote destruction of tumor cells
French scientists discovered that CD4 T cells generated during immunotherapy are capable of remotely neutralizing tumor cells by producing interferon gamma (IFN-γ).
News • Blood cancer research
Novel disease models for multiple myeloma
A team of scientists has successfully generated genetically defined mouse models for two subtypes of multiple myeloma. This will contribute to a better understanding of how the disease develops in humans.
News • Preventing EBV reactivation
Liver transplantation: Finding the "sweet spot" of immuno-suppression
Dutch physicians have developed a system to determine the right dose of immunosuppressive drugs for patients to receive a donor liver - to prevent the activation of the Epstein-Barr virus.
Article • Image augmentation, interpretation and evaluation
AI in multimodality hybrid imaging: a diamond in the rough
AI-based models for multimodality hybrid imaging have the potential to be a potent clinical tool but are currently held back by a lack of transparency and maturity, says Dr Irène Buvat, from the Laboratory of translational Imaging in Oncology, Institute Curie in Paris, France.
News • Separation between silicone and fat tissue
Algorithm improves MRI breast implant monitoring
In MRI-based monitoring of silicone implants, separation of silicone and fat tissue is challenging. A newly developed algorithm was designed to assist in the task.
News • Cancer care
Remote 24-hour monitoring shows promise in chemotherapy patients
Remote 24-hour monitoring for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy helps to better manage side effects and improve quality of life, finds a study published by The BMJ. The researchers say remote monitoring can provide a safe, secure, and “real time” system that optimises symptom management and supports patients to remain at home - and is particularly relevant in the context of the Covid-19…
News • Oncology early detection tool
Blood test for 50+ types of cancer promising for screening
Final results from a study of a blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer have shown that it is accurate enough to be rolled out as a multi-cancer screening test among people at higher risk of the disease, including patients aged 50 years or older, without symptoms. In a paper published in the cancer journal Annals of Oncology, researchers report that the test accurately detected…
News • Valid for breast as well as blood cancers
Surprising benefits discovered in new cancer treatment
One more piece of the puzzle has fallen into place behind a new drug whose anti-cancer potential was developed at the University of Alberta and is set to begin human trials this year, thanks to newly published research. “The results provide more justification and rationale for starting the clinical trial in May,” said first author John Mackey, professor and director of oncology clinical…
News • New mechanism of action
A small-molecule degrades a cancer-promoting
"Molecular glue degraders" are a new class of cancer drugs, which "glue" cancer growth-promoting proteins directly to the molecular machinery of a cell's disposal system, leading to the subsequent degradation of the cancer-driving proteins and anti-tumor activity. Scientists from Heidelberg and USA have now deciphered another mechanism whereby a small molecule can degrade a…
Interview • International research collaboration
The Pan-Cancer project: Cancer development begins within the genes
Launched in 2011, the Pan-Cancer Project, involved more than 1,300 scientists and clinicians in 37 countries, and analysed more than 2,600 genomes of 38 tumour types. Discovery: The first indications of cancer development can be found in genes at a very early stage, which triggers new opportunities for treatment.
Article • Need for modernisation
Digital pathology: Luxury or necessity?
The anatomical pathologist faces a crisis. Public and private labs suffer increasing caseloads, whilst pathologist numbers diminish for various reasons, including greater cancer prevalence associated with aging populations as well as improved cancer screening programs. Precision medicine typically involves more genetic testing and extensive use of immunohistochemistry to classify cancer and…
News • Pediatric cancer imaging
DW MRI measures tumor chemotherapy response with less radiation
Whole body diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW MRI) may aid in the assessment of cancer treatment response in children and youth at much lower levels of radiation than current approaches, suggests a small study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The results appear in Radiology. Researchers compared DW MRI, which measures the density of tumors by tracking the movement of…
News • Oncology breakthrough
Blood test detects 50+ cancer types, often before symptoms show
Researchers have developed the first blood test that can accurately detect more than 50 types of cancer and identify in which tissue the cancer originated, often before there are any clinical signs or symptoms of the disease. In a paper published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology, the researchers show that the test, which could eventually be used in national cancer screening…
Article • Blood test & AI power
Early brain tumour detection – within minutes
A simple blood test coupled with artificial intelligence (AI) analysis could help spot the signs of a brain tumour sooner in patients. Brain tumour diagnosis is difficult: patients often see their family doctor (GP) several times before referral for a scan. However, research presented at the 2019 National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference in Glasgow last November suggests the…
News • After mastectomy
Promising approach for breast regeneration
A team of researchers from Osaka University, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, and Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. succeeded in reconstructing adipose tissue balls (“mini-breasts”) with a functional vascular network using patient-derived cells, achieving a high graft survival rate in small animal models. So far, silicone breast implants were primarily used in breast reconstruction following…
News • Stimulated Raman histology
Imaging system and AI algorithm accurately identify brain tumors
A novel method of combining advanced optical imaging with an artificial intelligence algorithm produces accurate, real-time intraoperative diagnosis of brain tumors, a new study finds. Published in Nature Medicine, the study examined the diagnostic accuracy of brain tumor image classification through machine learning, compared with the accuracy of pathologist interpretation of conventional…
News • Armed antibodies
Tough against cancer, gentle to the immune system
Scientists from the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) at Tübingen University Hospital have managed to attach immunostimulatory cytokines to cancer-specific antibodies for the first time in such a way that they activate the immune response against cancer without causing a dangerous overreaction by the immune system. The research team has now been granted…
News • New research
Cancer patients at higher risk of dying from heart disease and stroke
More than one in ten cancer patients do not die from their cancer but from heart and blood vessel problems instead, according to new research published in the European Heart Journal. For some cancers, like breast, prostate, endometrial, and thyroid cancer, around half will die from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Dr Nicholas Zaorsky, a radiation oncologist, and Dr Kathleen Sturgeon, an assistant…
News • New transfection approach
Immunotherapy: The 'FedEx and UPS equivalent of DNA delivery'
Immunotherapy is a promising cancer treatment that uses genetically modified immune cells to fight cancer. It can be used as a primary treatment or in combination with other treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy to slow down or stop the growth of cancer cells and prevent them from spreading to other parts of the body. Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy, for instance, is a…
News • Biological mechanism explained
How lymphoma cells form brain metastases
Lymphomas in the central nervous system are rare but dangerous. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now discovered which molecular mechanism leads to lymphomas forming metastases in the central nervous system.
News • Global health
WHO updates list of essential medicines and diagnostics
The World Health Organisation's (WHO) Essential Medicines List and List of Essential Diagnostics are core guidance documents that help countries prioritize critical health products that should be widely available and affordable throughout health systems. Now, updated versions of the two lists have been published, focusing on cancer and other global health challenges, with an emphasis on effective…
News • Double danger
MS patients at a greater risk of cancer, new study suggests
New results of a 65-year follow-up study of nearly 7,000 Norwegian patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) suggest that patients may have a greater overall risk of developing cancer than the general population, with an especially high risk of cancer in respiratory organs, urinary organs and the central nervous system. Presented at the 5th European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress in Oslo,…
Article • Boosting our immune surveillance
Antibodies PD-1 and PD-L1: a quantum leap in cancer therapy
Immuno-oncology is a therapy in which the body’s immune system treats a tumour. Dr Eric Borges, from the Research and Development Centre at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH in Germany, explains why this is revolutionary. Unlike conventional cancer therapies, with immuno-oncology the tumour cell is not the direct target, it’s the patient’s immune system. The medication stimulates this to…
News • Common DNA structure
Nano-signature discovery could revolutionise cancer diagnosis
A quick and easy test to detect cancer from blood or biopsy tissue could eventually result in a new approach to patient diagnosis. The test has been developed by University of Queensland researchers Dr Abu Sina, Dr Laura Carrascosa and Professor Matt Trau, who have discovered a unique DNA nanostructure that appears to be common to all cancers. Cancer is an extremely complicated and variable…
Sponsored • Hematology
Early sepsis indicator helps identifying patients at risk
The critical element of testing for sepsis lies not so much in the location but in the timing and rapidity of results, according to Professor Jeannine T. Holden from Beckman Coulter Early identification enables treatment protocols to be delivered more quickly, offering better patient outcomes. Those most at risk, suggests Holden, are not patients within the intensive care unit – who are already…
News • Flow cytometry lab
New ClearLLab IVD Reagents launched
Beckman Coulter is launching the ClearLLab 10C System for the clinical flow cytometry lab. The new system is the first 10-color IVD panel of immunophenotyping reagents cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for both lymphoid and myeloid lineages. The four dry pre-mixed antibody tubes use the company’s DURA Innovations technology, eliminating the need to pipette antibodies, improving…
News • In situ vaccination
Turning tumors into cancer vaccine factories
Researchers at Mount Sinai have developed a novel approach to cancer immunotherapy, injecting immune stimulants directly into a tumor to teach the immune system to destroy it and other tumor cells throughout the body. The “in situ vaccination” worked so well in patients with advanced-stage lymphoma that it is also undergoing trials in breast and head and neck cancer patients, according to a…
Article • Therapeutic progress
Cancer: riding the wave of innovation
In haematology and medical oncology, there is always something new. However, the increasing stratification of cancer therapies presents an enormous challenge for clinical research. Tumour cells – those altered genetically by mutation and thus ought to be recognised by the immune system and destroyed – manage to apply diverse molecular tricks to avoid attack by the immune system. Thus, they…
Article • Evolving technique
Flow cytometry rises to new challenges
Flow cytometry has proved an invaluable diagnostic tool for leukaemia and lymphoma for almost three decades. Now, however, this is evolving in applications to seek out residual disease in cases and in fusion with molecular testing to advance its diagnostic potential. However, although recognised as fast, flexible and accurate, flow cytometry suffers from a lack of standardisation, according to…
Article • Cancer management
The enormous potential of liquid biopsy
It is non-invasive, delivers a chance of early diagnosis, prognostic information and sequential monitoring, and, believes Professor Francesco Salvatore, the enormous potential of liquid biopsies has still to be reached. However, the positive results obtained so far have ‘opened the door to a promising new multi-faceted group of tumour markers, at present collectively designated “liquid…
News • BIA-ALCL
Breast implant cancer risks: are women aware?
Breast surgeons across the UK must ensure women are aware of BIA-ALCL, a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that is associated with implants; and more responsibility must be taken to diagnose and report cases, surgeons attending the 2018 London Breast Meeting have warned. Hundreds of breast specialists from around the world met at the Royal College of Physicians for the four-day conference this autumn,…
Article • A challenger arrives
AI – just a tool or the future of healthcare?
Neuroscientist Lynda Chin MD, Founder and CEO of Real-world Education Detection and Intervention, has little doubt: ‘Artificial intelligence to the rescue,’ she proclaimed in her keynote address at the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Summit, held in Las Vegas this spring. ‘We need a system and analytics to interpret data!’ she urged, despite being well aware that building a…
News • Cancer
'Liquid biopsy' predicts lymphoma therapy success within days
Changes in circulating tumor DNA levels quickly predict how patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma are responding to therapy, according to a Stanford-led study. Currently, patients wait months for the results.
News • Oncology
Breaking through a tumor's defenses
Babraham Institute researchers have shown that some tumours use not one but two levels of protection against the immune system. Knocking out one level boosted the protective effects of the second and vice versa. The research demonstrates that a two-pronged approach targeting both cell types simultaneously may offer a promising route for the development of new cancer immunotherapies.
Article • Assisting algorithms
Big data advances rare disease diagnosis and cancer therapy
Two major projects feeding on big data and based in Spain have recently come under the spotlight: Mendelian, a tool to expedite rare diseases diagnosis, and Harmony, an EU platform that aims to improve targeted therapy in haematological cancer. Rare diseases affect as many as 6% of the Spanish population. Although this percentage is high, these conditions are individually rare, which complicates…
News • New FDA info
Can breast implants increase lymphoma risk?
The FDA has been closely tracking the relationship between breast implants and a rare type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma since we first identified this possible association. We’ve been working to gather additional information to better characterize and quantify the risk so that patients and providers can have more informed discussions about breast implants,” said Binita Ashar, M.D., director of…
News • Follow-ups
Early countermeasures against ineffective cancer therapies
What effect does a particular cancer medicine or radiation therapy have on patients? To find out, physicians use CT images to determine whether a tumor’s size changes during the course of treatment. In the PANTHER project, a joint team of experts aims at gaining further valuable information from these images. In the future, doctors will be able to find out at an early stage whether a cancer…
News • Marine bioluminescence
Deep sea creatures light the way to develop cancer-fighting therapies
A team of scientists at the Keck School of Medicine of USC is looking to some deep sea dwellers to create a better way to develop cancer-fighting therapies. Harnessing the power of the enzymes that give these marine animals the ability to glow, the team created a test that makes it easy for researchers to see whether a therapy is having its intended effect — killing cancer cells. The results of…
News • Genetic engineering
CAR-T: Landmark cancer study sheds new light on immunotherapy
Loyola University Medical Center is the only Chicago center that participated in the pivotal clinical trial of a groundbreaking cancer treatment that genetically engineers a patient's immune system to attack cancer cells. Patrick Stiff, MD, director of Loyola's Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, is a co-author of the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The treatment used in…
News • A double-edged sword
Killing cancer cells can also drive tumor growth
Cancer therapies including radiation and chemotherapy seek to treat the disease by killing tumor cells. Now a team including researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have shown that the dead and dying cancer cells generated by chemotherapy and targeted cancer therapy paradoxically trigger inflammation that promotes aggressive tumor growth. In a study published today in the…
Article • The interdisciplinary challenge
Evaluating ICU care for cancer patients
Progressive treatments offer new chances for cancer patients, but also could result in as yet unknown complications. The number of cancer patients transferred to the ICU for cancer-specific and internal medicine related reasons is on the increase. Caring for them on the ICU is a complex challenge, with interdisciplinary cooperation playing an essential part. Certain criteria need to be met for…
News • Cell biology
Improved stem cell transplantation may be on the horizon
Researchers in Germany have demonstrated that hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplants can be improved by treatments that temporarily prevent the stem cells from dying.
Article • Benefits and side effects
Understanding and utilising immuno-oncology
Every cancer is different and every patient is different. This insight gained in personalised medicine prompted oncology researchers to focus more on the individual patient’s immune system. It is particularly the immune system’s ability to destroy cancer cells that raised hope.
Article • Fertility
Social freezing on demand in the future
Since 2006 around 100 centres that offer fertility preservation for cancer and non-cancer patients in Austria, Germany and Switzerland have joined forces to form the FertiPROTEKT network.
News • Research
New Biomarker for cancer immunotherapy?
The Ligand PD-L1 is one of the most important targets for cancer immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors. But not all tumors have sufficient quantities of PD-L1 ligands on their surface. Scientists from the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) have now shown that different types of cancer possess different quantities of PD-L1-Gen copies. Genetic analysis of the PD-L1 gene may in the future help to…
News • ECR
Record breaking attendance at the European Congress of Radiology 2016
The European Congress of Radiology (ECR) 2016 took place March 2 to 6 at the Austria Center Vienna. Over the five days, a new record attendance was achieved: 25,998 onsite and online delegates from 133 countries took part in Europe’s largest medical imaging congress, constituting an increase of 4 percent on last year.
Gene variation promotes uncontrolled cell division
Mom’s eyes and dad’s tumor? Cancer is due to genetic defects, some of which can be hereditary. The gene variant rs351855, for example, occurs in one in two cancer patients. A team headed by Axel Ullrich from the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried identified the gene variant a decade ago. Now, they succeeded for the first time in showing that the variation exposes an otherwise…
News • Lung cancer
Immunotherapy superior to chemotherapy?
Researchers compared an immunotherapy and a chemotherapy drug in patients with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease continued to progress after first-line chemotherapy. They found that nivolumab improved overall survival and was generally well tolerated. The results are significant because options for patients whose lung cancer progresses after initial treatment are…
Article • Medical Training
Diagnosing gastrointestinal infections
The human gut literally teems with microorganisms from at least 1,000 different species that are increasingly considered to be a valuable resource for the prediction, aetiology and prognosis of disease. Due to continual contact with the environment, primarily via food, the gut is susceptible to infection when a virus, parasite or bacterium enters and disrupts normal gut microbiota (or flora).
Breakthrough in hepatitis C research
Earlier this year a drug was launched that can cure hepatitis C without severe side effects in most patients. Whilst the treatment is fast, it is very expensive but does avoid liver cancer and thus makes liver transplants superfluous. This is only one of the many promising developments in hepatitis research that Dr Markus Cornberg of the Medical University Hanover will address at the Medica…
Curse or blessing?
A small prick to sample blood instead of complex pathological or other diagnostic procedures – this is how early cancer diagnosis will be in the near future. Blood tests to diagnose tumorous diseases early are already being researched for clinical use.
Collaborate – or face oblivion
Partnerships are at the top of the agenda for RSNA 2013. To meet current and emerging challenges, “we need internal partnerships within radiology and external ones with our clinical peers as well as with our patients,” outlined Sarah S. Donaldson, MD in her opening address of the 99th RSNA Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting.
EU regulation progresses on clinical trials
Along with others, Germany has unanimously welcomed the revision of the EU directive on clinical trials. The change from mere guideline into a regulation valid in all member states, specifically aimed at making it easier to carry out multinational studies, is particularly welcomed, Bettina Döbereiner reports
Epigenetic drugs
‘All human body cells contain the same DNA, but every type of cell – for example a muscle cell compared to that of a nerve – has a different gene expression pattern’, said Dr Sonja Stadler, speaking at the 2012 congress of DGKL (German Society for Clinical Chemistry).
Technology, tracers and trends
The last decade saw PET and now PET/CT numbers expand rapidly in Europe. More recently the picture has been less rosy with public and private sectors delaying new projects and pushing back the replacement of equipment.
Diagnosing brain tumours - stick to the standards!
As a referral neuroradiologist for paediatric tumour studies, Professor Monika Warmuth-Metz, Consultant at the Neuroradiology Department at University Hospital Würzburg, daily evaluates MRI images of different origin and colour. Her resume states: ‘All too often the standard protocols set out in the guidelines are not adhered to, which makes evaluation and follow-up significantly more…
Emergence of hybrid PET-MRI: first clinical experience
Whole-body hybrid PET-MR scanners are emerging on the market and are expected to have a significant impact in diagnostic imaging particularly in oncology applications and also in other clinical domains, such as cardiology, inflammatory and infectious disease, as well as in neurological applications.
Reading tissues
The trend towards personalised medicine implies the development of targeted cancer therapy. Tissue based examinations by pathologists play a key role in this trend. However, the relevance is still underestimated as pathologist Professor Manfred Dietel noted in his lecture at the European Forum on Oncology 2010 in Berlin, which explained what pathology already actually renders to targeted cancer…
Article • Reading tissues
Pathologists enable targeted cancer therapy
The trend towards personalised medicine implies the development of targeted cancer therapy. Tissue based examinations by pathologists play a key role in this trend. However, the relevance is still underestimated as pathologist Professor Manfred Dietel noted in his lecture at the European Forum on Oncology 2010 in Berlin, which explained what pathology already actually renders to targeted cancer…
Protecting a specialty and warding off commercialisation
For some time, German pathology has only been in the background of the medical disciplines. However, during the last ten years the profession stepped up to the fore. In the face of molecular medicine developments, the German Association of Pathologists redefined its members position with revived self-confidence.
Diffusion weighted whole body MRI
Malignant diseases rank second in mortality rates in Germany. These patients thus receive a major proportion of ambulant and hospital care, with apparent socioeconomic consequences. To optimise treatment planning, for all solid tumour entities it is mandatory to delineate or stage the primary extent of tumour invasion and spread prior to therapy as precisely as possible.
Nuclear medicine fuses with radiology in joint session
A special feature of this year’s scientific program at ECR 2010 was a joint session organized by the European Association for Nuclear Medicine with the European Society of Radiology. Two speakers representing the EANM took the podium to review developments in nuclear medicine and to challenge colleagues on specific applications.
Molecular imaging in clinical practice
Over the past decades new imaging technologies have substantially broadened the range of imaging applications in clinical medicine. For years anatomical imaging modalities, such as X-ray and CT, reveal high-resolution information of organs and tissues over extended imaging ranges. Lately, however, the idea of functional imaging e.g. the visualisation of physiology in vivo gains importance.
The two faces of HIV/AIDS in the brain
The Opening Lecture at ECR always draws immense attention. On March 4th, it was the “First Lady of Radiology” as Congress President M. Szczerbo-Trojanowska called her, Professor Dr Anne G. Osborn, University of Utah, USA, who opened the event. The internationally renowned doctor of diagnostic neuroradiology spoke about “The two faces of HIV/AIDS in the brain” – a matter close to her…
The USB health card
Entrepreneur Dr Gunter Pollanz was a central figure in the build-up of charter flights to Israel and in the foundation of MAOF Airlines in Tel Aviv. Later, he also developed important export structures from Israel to Europe. However, in 1997 his life took a dramatic turn when he was diagnosed with lymphoma. Prognosis: Although 54 years old he faced just three more months of life. Today, Dr…
Cutting cancer deaths in Europe
New research on deaths from cancer in Europe concludes that the key priority for continuing to reduce mortality is cutting tobacco smoking. The study shows that, while deaths for men from lung cancer in the EU have declined overall, by 17 % from 1995 to 2004, they rose by 27% for women over the same period. It also reveals other significant differences in the mortality between different EU…
Hot News on Lymphoma
The so-called lymphoma, which are cancers of the immune system, originate in white blood cells. Pathological B cells, for instance, are responsible for the "diffuse large B cell lymphoma", which progress very aggressively if left untreated. Now a new approach for future therapy of this cancer has been found by an international research consortium. They present their research in the scientific…
The brain - A promising target for multimodal imaging
Integrated PET/MRI systems will permit the simultaneous acquisition of molecular, functional and structural parameters. The combined strengths of PET (high sensitivity and specificity, but relatively low spatial resolution) and MRI (high resolution, but low sensitivity) is the most attractive feature of multimodal imaging with hybrid scanners. Their application could substantially contribute to…
New horizons in Nuclear Medicine therapy
Radionuclide therapy has been rapidly developing for the last 20 years, due to the availability of new carrier molecules and radionuclides. For some years the clinical efficacy has been modest with a low percentage of objective responses and no survival benefit because, most often, the patients had large tumor burden.
The AACC Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo
The American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) hosts its 2009 meeting in conjunction with the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Along with this, a high European participation is on the cards. "We are pleased that so many peers from Europe join us each year, and that our European colleagues lead many of the important scientific sessions," said Barbara Goldsmith PhD, current AACC…
Radiation dose-reduction strategies
Depending on the institution, CT examination doses can vary dramatically by a factor of ten, said Professor John Damilakis, PhD, associate professor at the University of Crete, Iraklion, ahead of the session. The difference is related principally to variations in the examination technique, as the protocol or the imaging system itself determines the level of radiation.
New medical options by tobacco plants
Bayer and its affiliated firm Icon Genetics developed an own production process which provides the opportunity to make therapeutic proteins from tobacco plants. The pilot plant for biotech drugs opened on June 16 in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt.
PET-CT for radiation therapy planning:
For individualised radiotherapy, high-precision delineation and characterisation of the tumour is critical. If highest radiation doses are delivered in a targeted fashion, the chance of tumour cell kill increases and tumour control probability is enhanced.
PET/CT and children
PET/CT imaging exhibits significantly higher sensitivity, specificity and accuracy than conventional imaging when it comes to detecting malignant tumours in children, according to research published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine (12/07).
Quantitative PET imaging
Visual analysis of PET scans for non-Hodgkin lymphoma may be improved by using standardised uptake value in monitoring response to treatment, according to research published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
Demand for PET/CT systems soars
Dr Thomas Beyer: `PET/CT is a non-invasive imaging modality that captures anatomical and metabolic data in a single scan´
Breakthrough in lymphatic cancer treatment
Celebrating his 71st birthday this year, Czech chemist Professor Antonin Holy will also be able to celebrate the launch of clinical testing of a drug to treat non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL) and chronic lymphatic leukaemia (CLL) - adding another to his 60+ registered patents.
Advancements in Telepathology
Professor Werner Schlake, President of the German professional association of pathologists, described teleconsultation as the most significant application of telepathology.
