Researchers have discovered how the mechanical properties of tumours - their softness, for example - can prime cancer cells to better survive their spread to other organs.
A team of Danish and Dutch researchers has combined an AI diagnostic tool with a mammographic texture model to improve the assessment of short- and long-term breast cancer risk. This new approach represents a significant step forward in refining the ability to predict the complexities of breast cancer risk.
Prostate radiotherapy techniques have been transformed over the past two decades. One promisting technique in this context is magnetic resonance-guided radiotherapy. The latest clinical results show a dramatic reduction in side effects, improving patient outcomes and quality of life.
A new trial could pave the way for more gentle surgery of breast cancer: The researchers explore the possibility of sparing the lymph nodes in the armpit - even if metastases are already present.
A study found immune cells in breast tissue of healthy women carrying BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations show signs of ‘exhaustion’. This opens new possibilities for cancer prevention.
A clinical trial has revealed the effectiveness of '3D mammography' in reducing by almost half the incidence of interval breast cancer appearing between two rounds of screening.
A combination of PET and MR imaging could help doctors spot signs that breast cancer is beginning to spread in a patient. This insight can then be used to adapt treatment strategies.
A research team created a computational model that simulates the invasion of cancer cells in breast tumors on a biomechanical level. This could help predict the evolution of breast cancer in patients.
Biochemists and bioinformaticians from the Leibniz Institute DSMZ have extensively characterized the molecular properties of the breast cancer cell lines from the institute's collection.
Awareness of the importance of women’s health is on the rise, but many challenges remain: At ECR 2024 in Vienna, we spoke with Hologic about their continued evaluation of healthcare efforts for women. At the congress, the company also shared how AI could be used to mitigate the effects of medical staff shortage.
Researchers have now shown that a noninvasive treatment that stimulates gamma frequency brain waves may hold promise for treating memory impairment and other cognitive effects of chemotherapy.
An international study has revealed that MRI monitoring in women with mutations in the BRCA1 genes significantly reduces breast cancer mortality without the need for preventive mastectomy.
Artificial Intelligence has helped scientists reveal a new form of aggressive prostate cancer which could revolutionise how the disease is diagnosed and treated in the future.
Hologic, Inc. unveils new research in artificial intelligence (AI) and offering innovative educational opportunities at the annual European Congress of Radiology (ECR) in Vienna, Austria.
Breast cancer has no “one size fits all” therapy approach: subtypes differ significantly in malignancy, progression, and treatment response. Therefore, the more is known about the type of carcinoma in a patient, the better the outcome. At the annual scientific EUSOBI meeting in Valencia, Dr Ramona Woitek pointed out the potential of novel imaging techniques and computational image analysis…
An innovative solution based on nanotechnology and ultrasound could prevent over-treatment of patients with rectal cancer. The magnetomotive ultrasound system uses nanotechnology for reliable diagnosis of any spread of rectal cancer to nearby lymph nodes.
Ordering preoperative breast MRI exams of diagnosed breast cancer patients used to be controversial: Did they aid surgical planning better than the combination of mammography and breast ultrasound? Or did their findings cause overtreatment, specifically mastectomy, when breast-conservation surgery would have sufficed? New research has now settled the issue.
Chronic stress can have a significant impact on health, from an increased risk for heart disease to a greater susceptibility of cancer metastasis. New research points out the underlying mechanisms.
GE HealthCare and the European Society of Radiology (ESR) renew their collaboration for the upcoming European Congress of Radiology (ECR) from February 28 to March 3 in Vienna.
Breast MRI is increasingly being used as a primary breast cancer screening exam for young women. It brings benefits in women with dense breasts, who are at an elevated risk of developing breast cancer. The technique is also being ordered as a supplemental screening exam following mammography or breast ultrasound for women of all ages at high risk. But use of breast MRI as a screening tool is…
A newly-developed biosensor could be an alterative to MRI and mammography for breast cancer screening. The handheld device uses saliva on test strips to determine whether cancer is present.
On 9 December 2023, NovaLife Polyclinic, with over 15 years of experience in the private healthcare sector in Timișoara, proudly inaugurated its state-of-the-art branch in the vibrant capital city of Bucharest.
A new breast imaging technique provides high sensitivity for detecting cancer while significantly reducing the likelihood of false positive results, according to a new study.
Researchers in Singapore have developed an AI-based software to assist in the early detection of breast cancer. Using thermal imaging, the program assesses the malignancy of a tumour.
Breast surgery is a traumatic experience for a woman, no matter whether breast-conservation surgery (BCS) or a mastectomy. Trauma levels are greatly enhanced, if pathological evaluation findings of an excised breast tumour following a lumpectomy suggest that additional cancer may still be in the margins, and a second surgical procedure is required. A new system with the ability to accurately…
Ahead of World Cancer Day on 4 February, scientists are revealing a cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) tool designed to help grade cancer, by analysing cell division.
Digital pathology brings benefits for sample management and optimisation, lets pathologists work on samples remotely: The UK Government has now approved the use of the technique for cancer samples.
Academic labs and biotech firms pioneer multi-cancer early detection with emerging technologies. Screening for multiple cancers with a simple blood or urinary draw could be a game-changer. Two research teams in particular have advanced the field.
Chemotherapy against cancer can lead to the generation of senescent tumour cells, which can help the tumour survive. A new immunotherapy approach to eliminate these cells shows promise in animal models.
A simple blood test could help diagnose patients with glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer, sparing them from undergoing invasive and highly-risky surgery, report UK researchers.
HighlightsExceptional performance for high speed tomo reading with up to 75%¹ faster image loadingNext-gen AI-powered tools enable workload reduction up to 63%² and up to 10%³ increased accuracy in diagnosisFull spectrum multimodal reading with motion corrected MRI data, subtraction calculation and advanced analytical toolsComprehensive double-blind reading management with…
HighlightsCompact AI-powered diagnostic platform, ergonomic designDeepInsight technology: proprietary Artificial Intelligence deep learning know-howWide range of transducers for all applicationsComprehensive diagnoses of hepatic diseasesUseful tools to help diagnose breast cancerSeamless workflow: Protocol assistant, Auto Measurements
HighlightsMulti-disciplinary Premium platform, ergonomic designDeepInsight technology: proprietary Artificial Intelligence deep learning know-howWide range of transducers for all applicationsComprehensive diagnoses of hepatic diseasesAdvanced application with fusion imaging to support procedure guidance and treatment evaluationUseful tools to help diagnose breast cancerSeamless workflow: Protocol…
HighlightsNew AI-powered diagnostic multi-disciplinary platform, ergonomic designDeepInsight technology: proprietary Artificial Intelligence deep learning know-howWide range of transducers for all applicationsComprehensive diagnoses of hepatic diseasesAdvanced application with fusion imaging to support procedure guidance and treatment evaluationUseful tools to help diagnose breast cancerSeamless…
Scientists have pinpointed likely ‘cells-of-origin’, the source cells that can grow into breast cancer, in women carrying a faulty BRCA2 gene who are at high risk of developing the disease.
Men with gynaecomastia (non-weight-related enlarged breast tissue) may be at heightened risk of an early death before the age of 75, suggests the first study of its kind.
The climate crisis and AI – arguably two of the most hotly-debated and relevant topics of our time – share an intricate relationship: While computation of complex AI routines commands an immense carbon footprint, it is these algorithms that might be the very key to mitigate the effects of global warming. In a dedicated session at ECR 2023, radiologists explored the societal and environmental…
An Italian research team has introduced a new MRI-based method for assessing water water exchange to estimate the degree of malignancy and the success of treatments in tumors.
While having more centers adopt digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) for breast cancer screenings into their practice is a positive change, it also presents some challenges for radiologists—particularly the increased number of images for radiologists to review. This challenge has paved the way for AI to offer innovative workflow solutions for radiologists that do not sacrifice accuracy.
Researchers and clinicians at Washington University in St. Louis found a way to improve diagnostic accuracy of potentially cancerous lesions in the ovaries and adnexal regions, or the fallopian tubes.
White blood cells found in breast tumors can both help and hinder the spread of cancer cells to other organs, a new study from Karolinska Institutet shows.
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected scientific research in numerous ways – for example by highlighting knowledge gaps in gender medicine. In many studies differences in morbidity and mortality between women and men surfaced incidentally. While the extent and causes of these differences remain largely unexplored, the preliminary insights confirm the need for further research.
University of Waterloo researchers are pioneering a method to detect breast cancer in women early enough for them to receive life-saving treatment.
Mammography screening is vital in breast cancer prevention, but about 3% of women receive a false-positive result. This not only causes worry, but also increases risk of developing breast cancer.
A new device that acts like a GPS to locate and remove breast and lymph node tumors was tested for its safety and effectiveness in a feasibility study - with promising results.
Clinicians who show more empathy promote better psychological health among breast cancer patients, according to a new US study examining how oncology doctors facilitate psychological well-being.
A team of researchers from Vienna has discovered that dormant breast cancer tumor cells surviving chemotherapy can be targeted through the inhibition of a specific protein.
A team at the University of Bristol has developed a robot manipulator that could carry out clinical breast examinations. The developers hope the device will revolutionise breast health monitoring.
A new imaging agent can predict early metabolic response to HER2-targeted treatment in metastatic breast cancer patients, according to new research published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
At the EUSOBI congress in Valencia, Hologic showcases its women's health portfolio, announces global partnerships for breast health - and even brings a sweet treat for the congressgoers.
US researchers have discovered that radiation therapy combined with two types of immunotherapy can control tumors in preclinical models of triple negative breast cancer.
Modern cancer therapies are tough on the tumours, but often, also on the heart of the patients. The “CARDIOCARE” project aims to reduce the cardiac burden of anti-cancer therapies through more patient-tailored treatment approaches. At the ESC 2023 cardiology congress, Professor Katerina Naka from the project’s consortium explained why older patients are at the highest risk of cardiotoxic…
A genetic test for BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations may drive women to undergo breast cancer surgery, even though their risk might not even be drastically affected by this, a new study finds.
Chemotherapy can be an effective means to fight breast cancer, but under certain circumstances, the treatment can cause dormant cancer cells to re-awaken, new research finds.
Cancer has become strikingly more common in people under 50 in the past three decades, an international research team finds. The reseachers explore what this means for future death tolls.
Mammographic screening is used to detect breast cancer, but is prone to false findings. Could an AI reader help improve this? UK researchers compared the performance of man and machine.
Where are the beginnings of breast cancer? A team of researchers at Kyoto University has revealed the mechanism by which breast cancer is formed in the cells of mammalian epithelium.
Experts from Brigham and Women’s Hospital have tasked ChatGPT to generate recommendations for cancer treatment – with some promise, but ultimately inadequate results.
Can per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) increase the risk of breast cancer? A new study by US researchers examines the effects of the so-called “forever chemicals”.
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.
Centralized review of slides combined with telepathology has opened up the potential for a dramatic reduction in the waiting times for breast cancer patients to start their therapy. Jan Hudecek from the Netherlands Cancer Institute outlined his team’s framework for multi-centre clinical trials with centralized digital pathology review at the 9th Digital Pathology and Artificial Intelligence…
One less thing to worry about: Mental health isues such as depression and anxiety are not linked to higher risks for most types of cancer, according to a new analysis of multiple studies.
A machine learning model found that background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) on breast MRI is an indicator of breast cancer risk in women with extremely dense breasts.
Experts have highlighted how precision pathology using Artificial Intelligence can provide an effective alternative to molecular diagnostics. This, say a team from the Karolinska Institutet (KI) in Stockholm, Sweden, can also offer multiple advantages within a clinical setting and support risk stratification.
A new safety analysis finds AI-supported mammography analysis is as good as two breast radiologists working together to detect breast cancer, almost halving the screen-reading workload.
While screening programs for several of the commonest cancers are now well established, lung cancer screening has yet to reach anywhere near the same proportion of at-risk patients.
With the recent recommendation changes from the European Council in 2022, how radiologists screen for breast cancer is changing. Mammography has long been an essential technology in screening for breast cancer, and in the recommendations the Council formally recognized the advantages of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT). This landmark acknowledges the research on and benefits of DBT, advocating…
A new device, designed by MIT researchers, could detect breast cancer earlier. The scanner, which can be incorporated into a bra, could allow more frequent monitoring of high-risk patients.
Researchers have unveiled a key mechanism of breast cancer cells to infiltrate lymph nodes. The discovery may lead to new metastasis-blocking treatments and improve patients’ lives.
Researchers have found a possible explanation as to why higher breast density and older age increase the risk of breast cancer. According to the experts, adipocytes play a vital role here.
Scientists have designed an AI tool that can rapidly decode a brain tumor’s DNA to determine its molecular identity during surgery — critical information that can guide treatment decisions.
Researchers from Queen’s University Belfast have created personalised 4D printed “smart” implants for breast cancer management - a first for this technology.
Treatment times for radiotherapy could be reduced for some early breast cancer patients, according to a trial led by University of Cambridge and The Institute of Cancer Research, London.
What will the future structure for artificial intelligence in health imaging across Europe look like? While the algorithms show great promise in collecting, storing, analysing, and using data to advance healthcare, delegates to a session on the topic at ECR 2023 in Vienna, also heard that it was important for the use of AI to move from research and more toward practical applications for patients.…
Surgical robots are becoming widespread in operating theatres, delivering accuracy and safety. An overview of the main systems, principal operators, the market and European initiatives in this field.
A new US-led study shows that astrocyte brain cells play an important role in promoting brain metastasis by recruiting a specific subpopulation of immune cells.
Genomic sequencing panels as part of personalised cancer treatment have been found to only benefit one in 20 patients they are currently used for, according to a study by CNIO.
An MRI invention from engineers at the University of Waterloo reveals better than many existing imaging technologies how Covid-19 can change the human brain.
A new study suggests that deep learning–based computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) for breast lesion classification on ultrasound can significantly improve radiologists' diagnostic performance.
New research from the University of Helsinki increases the understanding of ovarian cancer: the identification of new subtypes could help discover new treatments.
Patients with early-stage breast cancer who have an elevated risk of having tumour recurrence now have the option to take a course of radiotherapy following breast conservation surgery that is only three weeks long, half the time of conventional radiotherapy treatment.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) could identify patients at increased risk of side effects from radiation treatment for breast cancer, according to researchers at the University of Leicester.
AI can analyze breast mass images from low-cost portable ultrasound machines and accurately identify cancer, according to a new study. This could prove useful for triage in low-resource settings.
It is crucial that labs can rely on their slides for a seamless – and accurate – diagnosis. With many more commercial instruments focusing on flexibility and choice, these qualities are difficult to separate from subjectivity and complexity.
A group of researchers has illustrated the mechanistic pathway for PTEN-deficient breast cancer and successfully tested a method of countering the downstream effects of immune system evasion by tumors.
Women with triple-negative breast cancer who received multiple antibiotic prescriptions within three years after their cancer diagnosis were more likely to experience disease recurrence and to die from their cancer.
Women working in health care who are regularly exposed to radiation from X-rays and other imaging procedures need better ionizing radiation protection.
Mammography has been an essential imaging technology for breast cancer detection for decades. As the industry has continued to innovate, one advancement in mammography has particularly changed the landscape of breast imaging: digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), also known as 3D mammography.
Ultrasound is an effective standalone diagnostic method in patients with focal breast complaints, according to a study published in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Focal breast complaints can refer to pain, lumps, nipple discharge or other symptoms and conditions confined to a specific area of the breast.
As ChatGPT becomes more popular among those seeking health advice, researchers try to find out whether the information provided by the AI chatbot is reliable and accurate.
A novel imaging modality that can visualize the distribution of medical radiopharmaceuticals with very fine resolution has been developed and successfully tested.
In a study of over a million women, digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) showed improved breast cancer screening outcomes over screening with standard digital mammography alone.
Scientists have discovered why breast cancer cells that have spread to the lungs may ‘wake up’ following years of sleep - forming incurable secondary tumours.
Researchers from the US, Singapore and Geneva have developed a novel combination therapy using an anticancer agent for treating vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE).
A new study calculated the economic cost of cancers around the world, helping policymakers allocate resources and enact policies to curb the increase in cancer-related death and disability.
Radiotherapy does not improve survival rates in older patients with early breast cancer, new research suggests.
The newly founded UK Focused Ultrasound Foundation is dedicated to advancing the development and adoption of the technology, which can be used to non-invasively treat tissue deep in the body.
A new imaging approach using ultrafast MRI shows potential in predicting upgrade of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to invasive breast cancer at surgery.
Evidence that radioembolization, a trans-arterial therapy, is safe and stops disease progression in metastatic breast cancer is increasing, a prominent American interventional radiologist showed at the Spectrum conference in Miami.
Philips is an active participant in the new European Federation for Cancer Images consortium (EUCAIM) – a project launched in the run-up to World Cancer Day 2023.
Compared to other common supplemental screening methods, breast MRI was superior at detecting breast cancer in women with dense breasts, according to a new study.
A Korean research team successfully changed the properties of carcinogenic cells in the lungs and eliminate both drug resistance and their ability to proliferate out to other areas of the body.
A new approach on the genetic tool CRISPR-Cas9 could reduce the risk of unwanted mutation, making it safer for use in humans, Dutch researchers have found.
The distinction between primary tumors and metastases can be made quickly and accurately in brain tumors using radiomics and deep learning algorithms, a new study shows.
Focused ultrasound (FUS) ablation is an emerging treatment for breast tumours. Its use was highlighted in an October webinar focused on emerging immunotherapy research and breast cancer.
Researchers generated human mini bones in the lab which mirror the composition and function of human bone - a step toward the development of future patient-tailored models of bone cancers and tumors.
A rare variant of a protein present in nearly all human cells may hold the key to improving the effectiveness of breast cancer treatment, according to University of Manchester research.
Swedish researchers have developed a method that should be able to predict whether a patient with breast cancer will benefit from a particular treatment or not.
A cancer researcher and consultant has estimated for the first time how many women are living with secondary breast cancer in England – in new research which could help to shape cancer services.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have used artificial DNA to target and kill cancer cells in a completely new way. The method showed promising results against various cancers in lab tests on mice.
Scientists managed to identify and kill breast cancer cells that evade standard treatments in a study in mice. The is a step towards the development of new treatments to prevent relapse in patients.
Tapping the thriving Radiology AI ecosystem, Bayer recently announced three collaboration agreements for its digital platform, Calantic Digital Solutions, as well as an AI accelerator program.
Breast cryoablation is an emerging treatment for early-stage, localized breast cancer that destroys malignant tumours by freezing them. During the past decade, it has been increasingly utilized as an alternative to lumpectomy, but its long-term benefits compared to other breast cancer treatments are still unproven.
The need for breast cancer screening of transgender individuals has been a topic of uncertainty until recently, due to lack of reliable patient data, consensus by radiologists, published research, and recommended guidelines. A 2021 survey of Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) members revealed that ‘breast radiologists differ in their practice and knowledge regarding screening of transgender…
An international team highlights the importance of localising BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations for the treatment of ovarian cancer.
This summer, The European Commission launched I3lung, a new research initiative as a part of Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation program. This research initiative aims to create a cutting-edge, decision-making tool to help clinicians and patients select the best lung cancer treatment based on each patient’s specific needs and circumstances.
New research has found variable voltages in the membranes of breast cancer cells, revealing clues about how they grow and spread.
One robot supports the surgeon’s control of tiny instruments, while another automatically keeps an eye on what is happening: With this novel combination, surgeons in Münster have successfully performed fully robot-assisted microsurgery for the first time. Presenting the new procedure at the Hornheide Specialist Clinic, the experts explain how the interaction of both robotic systems ensures…
New tests can identify over 50 types of cancer and boost detection of traditionally elusive cancers from tumour DNA in blood, researchers showed at the ESMO congress in September. These multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests in development can spot common cancer signals and predict where the signal comes from in the body, results from a prospective investigation suggest.
Researchers have created a tool that maps how breast cancer grows in previously unseen detail, and highlights how the cells around the tumour may be the key to controlling the spread of disease.
A session at the Medica Health IT Forum will focus on the important topic of gender-sensitive medicine and raise critical points within the field. While a key challenge remains in raising awareness and acceptance that there are medical differences between men and women, session chair Dr Martina Kloepfer points out that gender-sensitive medical care is the ‘lowest common denominator of…
The risk of developing breast cancer is higher in breasts with high density. But why is that? Researchers at Linköping University have shown major biological differences that promote cancer growth.
Researchers in Finland have identified that finger-like cellular extensions called filopodia contribute to building a barrier surrounding breast tumours.
Women with high-risk breast lesions (HRLs) and no family history of breast cancer or BRCA mutations are generally considered to be at moderate risk of developing breast cancer. Breast cancer screening guidelines suggest breast MRI be considered as a supplement to mammography. But is this expensive exam necessary?
A simple 'liquid biopsy' blood test could help guide the treatment of children with the cancer rhabdomyosarcoma, a new study reports.
What if a test analysing cervical cells from a gynaecological swab could be used to detect four different female cancers at an early stage and also predict cancer risk over a healthy woman's lifetime? Researchers at the EUTOPS Institute in Innsbruck, Austria, are developing tests to do just that for breast, ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancer detection.
Deaths from cancer are currently estimated at 10 million each year worldwide. Conventional cancer staging systems aim to categorize patients into different groups with distinct outcomes. ‘However, even within a specific stage, there is often substantial variation in patient outcomes,’ Markus Plass, academic researcher from the Medical University of Graz, Austria, explained to Healthcare in…
Many women diagnosed with breast cancer can be cured with surgery, radiotherapy and medical treatment. Swedish researchers explore whether physical exercise can support the anti-tumour effects.
Researchers in Munich have developed a novel model system that can be used to precisely track the growth steps and three-dimensional arrangement of pancreatic cancer cells.
Scientists in Italy discovered a new drug-resistance mechanism in breast cancer that leads to the formation of cancer stem cells. They also devised an experimental therapy to bypass or prevent this.
It’s widely known that more than 70% of today’s medical decisions involve the results of laboratory tests, but the insights clinicians derive from these tests today may only be scratching the surface of their potential.
Cancer – one word that turns the patients’ world upside down. In addition to uncertainty and fear, they often face an unnerving series of exams and treatments. With its new One-Stop Clinic concept, GE Healthcare now wants to help make this journey as smooth as possible. At a single location, in an environment designed for comfort, the patients undergo all necessary steps within a short period…
The hearts of men and women are different – while this insight has been established for quite some time now, it might even surprise cardiologists just how deep these differences really run. In her presentation at this year’s ESC, Diana Bonderman, MD, gave a comprehensive roundup on sex differences in risk factors and subtypes of heart failure.
When double reading screening mammograms, radiographers trained for the task perform as well as radiologists in key areas, according to a new publication.
Researchers from the University of Bern and Inselspital provide an overview of the latest technologies in precision oncology. Translating these into clinical application is still a major challenge.
A new study shows that women with a breast cancer diagnosis undergoing procedures for fertility preservation are not at increased risk of recurrence of the disease or disease-specific mortality.
The interplay between the patient’s BMI, tumour size and cancer-specific proteins is of importance for the prognosis of breast cancer, a study from Sweden shows.
Clinical laboratories need to be proactive to attract transgender patients for testing and to ensure that they are comfortable with the services provided. This issue is of great importance to the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC), which conducted a scientific session on transgender health at its recent annual meeting in Chicago.
Researchers from the UK and Sweden have found that individual prostate tumours contain a previously unknown range of genetic variation.
At the ECR 2022 congress in Vienna, Hologic went beyond just showcasing new systems for women’s health. Additional focus topics were the mitigation of the pandemic impact on screening programmes and the situation of women around the world without access to advanced diagnostic technologies – or even the most basic standards of healthcare.
Hospital patients who develop infections where 10% of sufferers die will be offered double the traditional course of antibiotics in a new trial.
Patients with multiple architectural distortion (AD) identified on digital breast tomosynthesis may benefit from biopsy of all areas, given the variation of pathologic diagnoses across individuals.
A Europe-wide project aims to improve medical radiation protection for patients and staff by better understanding and evaluating the health effects of exposure to low-dose ionising radiation resulting from diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
Multiparametric ultrasound (MPUS) has proven its value in the abdomen – now, the technique is increasingly moving towards peripheral areas such as breast and testis imaging, experts showed in a dedicated session at ECR 2022.
Contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) has gone a long way since it was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2011. An Italian expert explained how useful the modality has become in breast imaging in a dedicated course at ECR 2022.
Rapid technical advances in ultrasound and increasingly tight healthcare budgets call for a change in ultrasound practice, experts explained in a session at the ECR in Vienna. Two experts presented possible models for the next two decades.
Physicians use AI-powered technology for faster and earlier detection of diseases. At ECR Overture, Dr Steven Schalekamp, PhD, discussed the application of AI for chest radiography in paediatrics.
Contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) may be a useful alternative test for neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) response assessment in patients with breast cancer who are unable to undergo MRI.
Researchers have developed an ultrasound-guided cancer immunotherapy platform that generates systemic antitumor immunity and improves the therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade.
"Crown-like structures" surrounding breast tumors in overweight and obese patients could hinder their response to therapy. The findings of this study could potentially be used to improve personalized treatment for patients.
A combination of digital pathology and quantitative biomarker analysis in the emerging concept of ‘smart’ cytology has a potential role in the detection and diagnosis of cancer.
Microfluidic chip inflates and deflates balloons in a sleeve to promote fluid flow in the lymphatic system.
Reaching out across 15 hospitals and a population of six million people, a network established by the National Pathology Imaging Co-operative (NPIC) is an ambitious move to advance digital pathology in the North of England.
Computational approaches are being applied on enormous amounts of data from sequencing technologies to develop tools to help clinicians manage cancer more effectively.
Personalised screening, data-driven aproaches: In a dedicated press conference in Paris, French oncologists presented promising research that might bring hope for many cancer patients.
Informing a patient about a cancer diagnosis is never an easy task. An Austrian patient has developed a solution that will help radiologists break the bad news as smoothly as possible and guide women through their patient journey.
A team of researchers from Singapore has developed a novel magnetic therapy that serves as an effective companion therapy to chemotherapy to enhance treatment outcome for breast cancer.
A major advance demonstrates first multi-organ chip made of engineered human tissues linked by vascular flow for improved modeling of systemic diseases like cancer.
A protein vital in determining the organs affected by metastasis has been identified by Swiss researchers. This could lead to the development of therapeutic approaches to suppress metastasis.
Patients with neurological conditions such as dementia or autism can prove especially challenging for radiographers. A session at the ECR Overture in March gave insights to a patient-focused approach.
A new biodegradable gel improves the immune system’s ability to keep cancer at bay after tumors are surgically removed.
Big data is transforming diagnosis and medical care, but the critical challenge remains over how to equally apply the benefits it delivers across real-world clinical settings, according to industry expert Prof Benoît Macq.
Scientists from Hokkaido University have identified new targets for treating Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), an aggressive form of blood cancer with existing drugs.
A major new study shows that artificial intelligence (AI) is a promising tool for breast cancer detection in screening mammography programs.
Liquid biopsy performed on serum samples taken from breast cancer patients can provide increasingly accurate information on progression and enable earlier detection of recurrence.
Synthetic correlated diffusion makes cancerous tissue glow in medical images could help doctors more accurately detect and track the progression of cancer over time.
A software based on deep learning with convolutional neural networks can accurately and consistently classify breast density on mammograms according to BI-RADS criteria.
Hologic and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) kicked off a multi-year partnership, launching a joint vision to achieve greater wellness and equality for women.
When it comes to imaging stable cardiac chest pain, which modality should be used as the first-line test to investigate coronary artery disease: CT or MRI? Radiologists discussed the strengths and limitations of the two approaches in a lively Pros and Cons session at ECR Overture.
Groundbreaking technologies have improved our ability to accurately diagnose breast cancer and reduce callbacks, focusing on compassionate care for patients as they move along their breast health journey.
When it comes to your patient’s health, certainty matters. Breast biopsies play a vital role in the continuum of care for women, providing insights into mass and calcification identification so you can make the best-informed decisions.
Molecular radiotherapy shows great potential in becoming a more mainstream treatment for cancer, but the field is being hampered by a limited radionuclide supply.
Close liaison between pathologists and data scientists is pivotal in the successful introduction of digital pathology and artificial intelligence (AI) into clinical workflows, according to one of France’s leading pioneers in the field.
UK researchers have found that a new type of ultrasound scan can diagnose most prostate cancer cases with good accuracy in a clinical trial involving 370 men.
Annual MRI screenings starting at ages 30-35 may reduce breast-cancer mortality by more than 50% among women who carry certain genetic changes in three genes, according to a new modeling analysis.
Physicists from Leipzig University have developed gene expression tests to examine whether additional chemotherapy is necessary and really effective after breast cancer surgery.
Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) can be an enormous challenge for orthopaedists and trauma surgeons. Antibiotic-loaded bone cement is an important element in a prevention strategy.
Scientists have discovered a means of identifying the risk of breast and ovarian cancer by measuring epigenetic changes in cervical samples from over a thousand women.
Faulty versions of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are well known to increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Now, they have been linked to several other cancers, including those that affect men.
Under the roof of integrated diagnostics, radiology, laboratory medicine and pathology are forming a powerful alliance. Hedvig Hricak, MD, PhD, explains the potential for cancer patients and details the role of radiologists within the construct.
Mark Nicholls reports from the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) virtual Festival, with four expert speakers discussing the role of liquid biopsy in cancer detection.
When the coronavirus first struck in the US, hospitals in New York City were the first to feel the impact. Radiologists Professor Judy Yee, M.D., and Mark C. Liszewski, M.D., describe the lessons learned and talk about their firsthand experiences.
Artificial intelligence (AI) models that evaluate medical images have potential to speed up and improve accuracy of cancer diagnoses, but they may also be vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing our healthcare systems. It can help us detect diseases earlier, improve patient care and reduce healthcare costs. However, there is still a lack of trust, of rules and safety regulations and of broad data pools. How can we use AI successfully in healthcare systems and what role will it play in the future?
Mammograms are a safe, effective way to detect the presence of breast cancer in women. But doctors recommend most females should start getting mammograms after the age of 40 in part because the procedure involves small doses of ionizing radiation. While the risk of getting breast cancer is higher for older people, it can strike at any age. Studies show that 5% to 7% of females with breast cancer…
Researchers have developed an ultra-thin wireless device, called osseosurface electronic, that grows to the surface of bone and could someday help physicians monitor bone health and healing over long periods.
Intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs) appear to have systemic effects on the body like those of hormone replacement therapy, according to a breast MRI study being presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
An innovative collaboration has been formed in the UK between academic researchers and industry to develop a rapid integrated liquid biopsy platform for early detection of recurrent breast cancer. Breast cancer specialists Professor Charles Coombes, who is Professor of Medical Oncology at Imperial College London (ICL), and Professor Jacqui Shaw, Head of the Department of Genetics and Genome…
The risk of early breast cancer spreading to another part of the body ranges from 6% to 22%, according to the first results of a large and detailed global study of metastatic breast cancer presented at the Advanced Breast Cancer Sixth International Consensus Conference (ABC 6). The study also shows that certain women face a higher risk than others, including women diagnosed with breast cancer at…
The breast imaging field plays a critical role in women’s health and wellbeing around the globe. Bringing together experts, leaders and innovators from across the breast imaging landscape, the 2021 European Society of Breast Imaging (EUSOBI) Congress comes at a crucial time and represents a pivotal opportunity for the industry as a whole. Taking place online from 4-28 October, 2021, the virtual…
Researchers from Cleveland Clinic have opened a novel study for a vaccine aimed at eventually preventing triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive and lethal form of the disease. This phase I trial is designed to determine the maximum tolerated dose of the vaccine in patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer and to characterize and optimize the body’s immune response. The…
Together with Imperial College London (‘Imperial’), molecular diagnostics company DNAe has been awarded a UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) by Innovate UK to support development of its next generation sequencing (NGS)-based diagnostic platform for use in cancer monitoring. The KTP program connects innovative businesses with academic experts who can help them deliver their ideas. This…
The immune system protects the body from cancer. To protect healthy body cells from its own immune system, they have developed a protective shield: the protein CD47 is a so called "don’t eat me" signal, which tells the immune cells to stand back. Tumor cells exploit this CD47-based protection strategy for evading the immune system, by increasing presentation of CD47 on their cell…
Mass spectrometry – a powerful tool for analysing the molecular composition of a tissue sample – is invaluable during cancer surgery. However, mass spectrometers are complex and unwieldy, and certainly a poor fit for an operating room (OR). To create a bridge between the lab and OR, Professor Livia S Eberlin, from Baylor College of Medicine, has developed a very special ‘pen’.
Many of the organ systems found in animals exhibit highly complex structures, which are essential for their various functions. How such structures develop during embryonic development is a central question in biology. Physicists led by Erwin Frey (Professor of Statistical and Biological Physics at LMU Munich) and Andreas Bausch (Professor of Cellular Biophysics at the Technical University of…
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed an AI-based tool that improves the diagnosis of breast cancer tumours and the ability to predict the risk of recurrence. The greater diagnostic precision can lead to more personalised treatment for the large group of breast cancer patients with intermediate risk tumours. The results are published in the scientific journal Annals of Oncology.
New research indicates that MRIs are cost effective for detecting breast cancer for women with very dense breasts detected by mammography. About 10% of women have extremely dense breasts, and current mammography screening guidelines do not recommend additional imaging tests unless there is a strong family history or genetic risk for breast cancer. Such women face two problems. They have increased…
A computer program trained to see patterns among thousands of breast ultrasound images can aid physicians in accurately diagnosing breast cancer, a new study shows. When tested separately on 44,755 already completed ultrasound exams, the artificial intelligence (AI) tool improved radiologists’ ability to correctly identify the disease by 37 percent and reduced the number of tissue samples, or…
Scientists have identified two subtypes of metastatic prostate cancer that respond differently to treatment.
New data highlights a promising new treatment for individuals with HER2-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Customizable to individual patients and requiring less than 10 minutes to prepare and use, new surgical implant coating prevented 100% of infections in mice.
For World Patient Safety Day, Health First Europe (HFE) published a comprehensive insight report on five disease areas that affect millions of European citizens each year and how the European Union could and should do a better job for its citizens.
By analysing secondary acute myeloid leukaemias, researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) Barcelona have detected mutations caused by platinum-based chemotherapies in cells that were healthy at the time of treatment. Treatment with chemotherapies influences the development of blood cells, favouring clonal hematopoiesis from cells with pre-existing mutations. The study has…
A team led by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research has revealed a new approach for classifying breast cancer subtypes based on their cell profile, which could help personalise treatments for patients. By analysing breast cancer biopsies from patients at Sydney hospitals, the researchers revealed more than 50 distinct cancer, immune and connective cell types and states, which could assign…
A new technology that can study which therapies will work on patients with solid cancerous tumours has been developed by scientists at University College London (UCL). Researchers say the tool, which can rapidly test tumorous tissue against different treatments, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy or radiotherapy, could be used by clinicians to pinpoint the best therapy for a particular patient.
Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, have identified a new growth factor produced by blood vessels that enables tumor cells to metastatically colonize organs.
A solid diagnosis has always been the first step on any patient’s journey to health. However, diagnostic categories are necessarily oversimplifications. In the last decades, medical professionals and scientists have begun to uncover the true variability in patients’ physiological and biochemical make-up that is the principal cause for individual variations in the way diseases present…
The goal of tumour conferences is to determine the best treatment for patients with complex cancers – however, the patient is rarely present. Now, a team of researchers has investigated whether cancer patients can benefit from participating in these meetings.
In an effort to promote access to professional breast imaging knowledge, the European Society of Radiology (ESR) now links to educational materials from DenseBreast-info.org as a resource for its members about the screening and risk implications of dense breast tissue.
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…
A researcher at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) has developed a mathematical model for use in automated image analysis of tissue samples. The model provides the possibility for better and more similar cancer prognosis and treatment.
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact people’s health across the world. This goes beyond the disease itself, as healthcare systems adapt how they provide services. Routine screening has been severely affected with screening programmes reduced or paused.
Cancer care and the treatment clinicians can offer patients is being increasingly enhanced by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The technology has a role in diagnosis, with algorithms trained to design and deliver patient care, can match patients to clinical trials they may benefit from, and even help predict outcomes and those at greatest risk.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers in the world, and one of the most difficult to treat. In 2020, an estimated 495,000 individuals worldwide were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and an estimated 466,000 died, according to statistics from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. Most patients with advanced disease die within a year of…
In a collaboration with the Faculty of Statistics at TU Dortmund and the University Medical Center in Mainz, a research team at the Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors in Dortmund (IfADo) has developed a test that can be used to predict the success of therapy for breast cancer. Breast cancer is one of the most common tumour diseases worldwide. One in eight women will…
The contribution of Artificial intelligence (AI) has great potential in breast imaging efficiency, Professor Linda Moy MD told attendees at the 2021 Society of Breast Imaging/American College of Radiology (SBI/ACR) Breast Imaging Symposium this April. AI models for breast imaging have focused mainly on the diagnostic classification and detection of breast cancer.
Research from Cleveland Clinic in the U.S. and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi in the U.A.E. has found a decrease in patient survival rates when treatment options – surgery, chemotherapy and radiation – are completed more than 38 weeks from the time of diagnosis. The observational study, which included more than 28,000 breast cancer patients registered in the American National Cancer Database, is…
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…
Women are missing out on appropriate cardiac care because guidelines and medications often fail to take into account gender and conditions that specifically affect the female population. Women are also underrepresented in clinical trials for new cardiac therapies.
In the emerging era of personalized medicine, risk-based breast cancer screening protocols may be better than the one-size-fits all approach. It’s time to consider adopting them, Jack Cuzick, Ph.D., said in the President’s Address of the 2021 Society of Breast Imaging/American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Symposium.
A breast cancer therapy that requires just one shot of radiotherapy is as effective as traditional radiotherapy, and avoids potential damage to nearby organs, according to a paper by UCL experts.
Three leading AI scale-ups - Aidence, ScreenPoint Medical and Thirona - have launched the informative video series “Opening the black box of AI in medical imaging”.
In early 2020, Landeskrankenhaus (LKH – regional public hospital) Feldkirch in Austria procured two robotics systems. Dr Burghard Abendstein, head of department of Ob/Gyn, welcomes this – as he says – rather unusual but future-oriented decision of the hospital management and has been using the Asensus Senhance surgical system for laparoscopic procedures in gynaecology.
The EU-funded consortium Laser and Ultrasound Co-analyzer for Thyroid Nodules (LUCA) has developed a non-invasive, low-cost device that brings a new solution for thyroid cancer screening.
One of the negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic has been the suspension or postponement of many cancer screening services. Each year, these services help prevent and detect the presence of cancer at an early stage; timely diagnosis and care are crucial in preventing the spread of cancer. The National Screening Observatory has confirmed this, reporting alarming statistics: during the first…
For the first time, a prospective, international study has shown that chest pain caused by problems with the very small vessels supplying blood to the heart is an important health problem that increases the risk of heart attacks, stroke and death due to cardiovascular reasons. The study, which is published in the European Heart Journal, recruited 686 patients from 14 institutions in seven…
Specialist biorepositories are helping advance personalised medicine by supporting the availability of human tissue for research using digital pathology techniques. The pivotal role of the Glasgow Tissue Research Facility (GTRF) in making tissue available to shape new therapies and treatments was outlined in a presentation to the online “Transforming Digital Pathology – Integrating AI to Move…
Handheld laser devices that help surgeons quickly spot liver damage could transform transplant procedures, research suggests. The non-invasive technique could provide medical staff with instant data on the health of donor livers and help them to identify which organs are suitable for transplant. If widely adopted, the light-based tool could allow more livers to be transplanted safely and…
A chemist from Purdue University has found a way to synthesize a compound to fight a previously "undruggable" cancer protein with benefits across a myriad of cancer types.
In just the last two years, artificial intelligence has become embedded in scores of medical devices that offer advice to ER doctors, cardiologists, oncologists, and countless other health care providers. But how much do either regulators or doctors really know about the accuracy of these tools? A new study led by researchers at Stanford, some of whom are themselves developing devices, suggests…
The pandemic has presented healthcare systems with new challenges, resulting in backlogs of routine screenings and delayed procedures which threaten the health and wellbeing of patients, as well as the ability of facilities to serve their communities. In order to address these widespread issues, we need to ensure that healthcare professionals are able to operate with precision, confidence and…
Medical technology company iCAD, Inc. announced that ProFound AI for 2D Mammography might notably reduce the risk of interval breast cancer, according to a new retrospective analysis. The aim of the study was to determine if adding AI to reading mammography as a supportive tool may help in decreasing the interval cancer rate in population-based organized mammography screening programs in Germany.
Electricity may slow – and in some cases, stop – the speed at which breast cancer cells spread through the body, a new study indicates. The research also found that electromagnetic fields might hinder the amount of breast cancer cells that spread. The findings, published recently in the journal Bioelectricity, suggest that electromagnetic fields might be a useful tool in fighting cancers that…
AI is revamping workflows and experts showed how radiologists can integrate it into their department to improve daily practice and healthcare at ECR. The panel also discussed the health economics side of AI to help radiologists define which products make more economic sense for their department. The session tackled automated organ segmentation, an interesting application for AI in radiology.
Researchers at TU Berlin and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin as well as the University of Oslo have developed a new tissue-section analysis system for diagnosing breast cancer based on artificial intelligence (AI). Two further developments make this system unique: For the first time, morphological, molecular and histological data are integrated in a single analysis. Secondly, the system…
One of the leading figures in global radiology has highlighted the importance of fostering a strong eco-system to advance the safe and effective implementation of AI in medical imaging. Dr Geraldine McGinty said that to fully leverage the power of AI, all stakeholders must work together but underlined the unique responsibility physicians have to ensure patient interests are best served.
Tumour metabolism can be imaged with MRI as a technique to help determine cancer aggressiveness and response to therapy. The work by a UK-based group, on probing cancer metabolism non-invasively with clinical hyperpolarised carbon-13 MRI, can detect metabolic changes in the tumour. As metabolic changes occur much earlier than change in tumour size, this could have implications for quicker…
Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) can detect prostate cancer and inform about treatment response and disease progression earlier and better than other imaging modalities. A Belgian expert will delve into the latest and future developments of the technique for prostate cancer and distant metastases imaging in a dedicated session at ECR. WB‐MRI and nuclear medicine -…
Implementation of artificial intelligence into Scotland’s national breast screening service is moving closer following an initial success with a trial project. While Scotland’s breast screening trial has delivered highs and lows, significant hurdles have been overcome in terms of approvals, governance and patient acceptance.
The impact of Covid-19 has been devastating; countless lives lost, millions of infections worldwide, health systems overwhelmed and economies rapidly shrinking. Screening, such as for breast or cervical cancer, is an area particularly affected, with numerous appointments delayed.
Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) increases detection of breast cancer in symptomatic women under the age of 60, especially in dense breasts. A large, multi-institutional study conducted in the United Kingdom comparing the sensitivity of full-field digital mammography (FFDM), DBT, and FFDM plus DBT supports findings of two similar published studies, both conducted in China in the same time frame.
A new deep learning system to help radiologists improve their workflow efficiency when reading high volumes of screening mammograms is being developed at Johns Hopkins University’s Radiology Artificial Intelligence Lab (RAIL) in Baltimore, MD. DeepCAT (Deep Computer-Aided Triage) is focused on workflow prioritization.
The management of biopsied breast lesions that are diagnosed as abnormal but are not definitively malignant is challenging and controversial. Treatment ranges from diligent follow-up, with imaging and subsequent biopsy, to surgical excision. Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna (Medizinische Universität Wien), Austria, have developed and validated a software algorithm designed to…
Siemens Healthineers has introduced a new software solution that speeds up the entire reading workflow for breast imaging: Mammovista B.smart. Also new is the Teamplay Mammo Dashboard, a tool for dashboard-based visualization of key performance indicators (KPIs) in the breast imaging process that serves to optimize workflows. With these two new solutions, the company is extending its digital…
Pan-European lung cancer screening is challenged due to the range of approaches in different countries. As attitudes towards smoking and smoking cessation programmes vary, experts are attempting to establish more unified lung cancer screening. The introduction of consistent pan-European lung cancer screening will be outlined at a special session during the online ECR 2021, with presentations…
An improved high-tech fluorescence microscopy technique is allowing researchers to film cells inside the breast as never seen before. This new protocol provides detailed instructions on how to capture hi-res movies of cell movement, division and cooperation, in hard-to-reach regions of breast tissue. The technology – called multiphoton microscopy – uses infrared lasers to illuminate…
For many women, swollen lymph nodes are a red flag pointing to breast cancer – but may also be a normal immune reaction to a Covid-19 vaccination. In this Q&A, breast imaging experts address the most important facts on the topic.
Researchers have called on European policymakers to make adequate resources available to tackle pancreatic cancer, a disease that is almost invariably fatal and where little progress has been made over the past 40 years. In the latest predictions for cancer deaths in the EU and UK for 2021, published in the cancer journal Annals of Oncology, researchers led by Carlo La Vecchia (MD), a professor…
Working with colleagues from Germany and the US, researchers at Leipzig University have achieved a breakthrough in research into how cancer cells spread. In experiments, the team of biophysicists led by Professor Josef Alfons Käs, Steffen Grosser and Jürgen Lippoldt demonstrated for the first time how cells deform in order to move in dense tumour tissues and squeeze past neighbouring cells. The…
Before Wilhelm Röntgen, a mechanical engineer, discovered a new type of electromagnetic radiation in 1895, physicians could only dream of being able to see inside the body. Within a year of Röntgen’s discovery, X-rays were being used to identify tumors. Within 10 years, hospitals were using X-rays to help diagnose and treat patients. In 1972, computed tomography (CT) scans were developed. In…
A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis demonstrates that a liquid biopsy examining blood or urine can help gauge the effectiveness of therapy for colorectal cancer that has just begun to spread beyond the original tumor. Such a biopsy can detect lingering disease and could serve as a guide for deciding whether a patient should undergo further treatments due to some…
Cancer ranks as a leading cause of death in every country in the world, and, for the first time, female breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer, overtaking lung cancer, according to a collaborative report, Global Cancer Statistics 2020, from the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Data show that 1 in 5 men and women worldwide…
A new EU-wide repository for health-related imaging data could boost development and marketing of AI tools for better cancer management. The open-source database will collect and harmonise images acquired from 40,000 patients, spanning different countries, modalities and equipment. This approach could eliminate one of the major bottlenecks in the clinical adoption of AI today: Data bias.
Pregnancy complications and early menopause increase women’s future risk of heart disease. Cardiologists, gynaecologists and endocrinologists recommend how to help middle-aged women prevent later heart problems in a European Society of Cardiology (ESC) consensus document published in European Heart Journal, a journal of the ESC.
Certain anchor proteins inhibit a key metabolic driver that plays an important role in cancer and developmental brain disorders. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the University of Innsbruck, together with a Europe-wide research network, discovered this molecular mechanism, which could open up new opportunities for personalized therapies for cancer and neuronal diseases.
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…
MRI is the most sensitive method to detect breast cancer. However, the current breast cancer guidelines for Europe, Germany and Austria, still only recommend it for certain indications: For early detection in high risk patients, for differentiation between scarring and recurrences after breast-conserving treatment and to detect cancers of unknown primary site. This is the theory. However, in…
A team of scientists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) led by Dr Polly Leilei Chen from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine has discovered a previously unknown mechanism of cancer formation, the understanding of which may lead to more effective treatment. Their findings concern a process called RNA editing. The DNA code of a gene gets…
The advent of digital pathology is offering a unique opportunity to develop computerized image analysis methods to diagnose disease and predict outcomes for cancer patients from histopathology tissue sections. Such advances can help predict risk of recurrence, disease aggressiveness and long-term survival, according to a leading expert in the field, Professor Anant Madabhushi from Case Western…
Predicting cancer outcome could help with a clinical decision regarding a patient’s treatment. In his keynote speech during the online ‘7th Digital Pathology and AI Congress: Europe’, Johan Lundin, Research Director at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) at the University of Helsinki and Professor of Medical Technology at Karolinska Institute, discussed ‘Outcome and…
A new generation of tissue microarrays are delivering more efficient and time-effective solutions to answering complex clinical and scientific questions. Sitting at the core of this new approach is digital pathology, allowing specific and targeted analysis of small areas of tissue.
Hundreds of cancer patients have benefitted from using computer algorithms to manage their symptoms and improve their wellbeing in a unique UK trial. The early stage colorectal, breast or gynecological cancer patients took part in the trial of the eRAPID system, developed by the University of Leeds, which allowed them to report online symptoms from home and receive instant advice on whether to…
A scalpel-free alternative to brain surgery has the potential to benefit people with Parkinson’s disease symptoms that are much more severe on one side of the body, new research suggests. More testing is needed, but the approach, which uses a technology called focused ultrasound, could offer a new option for patients whose symptoms are poorly controlled by medications and those who cannot or do…
Hologic, Inc. has completed the acquisition of Somatex Medical Technologies GmbH, a leader in biopsy site markers and localization technologies, for approximately $64 million. The company was previously owned by E-Med Solutions GmbH, Berlin, a group of investors led by German private equity company Westlake Partners.
A microbe found in the colon and commonly associated with the development of colitis and colon cancer also may play a role in the development of some breast cancers, according to new research from investigators with the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. Breast tissue cells exposed to this toxin retain a long-term memory, increasing the…
Hologic, Inc. has announced that it will acquire Biotheranostics, Inc., a privately held, commercial-stage company that provides molecular diagnostic tests for breast and metastatic cancers, for approximately $230 million, subject to working capital and other customary closing adjustments.
Brain metastases can only develop if cancer cells first exit the fine blood vessels and enter into the brain tissue. To facilitate this step, cancer cells influence blood clotting, as scientists from the German Cancer Research Center and Heidelberg University Hospital have now been able to show in mice. The cancer cells actively promote the formation of clots, which helps them to arrest in the…
Colon cancer stem cells have one weak spot: the enzyme Mll1. An MDC team led by Walter Birchmeier has now shown in Nature Communications that blocking this protein prevents the development of new tumors in the body. Since colonoscopies were introduced in Germany for early cancer detection, the number of diagnoses of advanced cancer every year has decreased, as precancerous lesions can now be…
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) scientists have discovered a gene-regulating snippet of RNA that may contribute to the spread of many breast cancers. In animal experiments, the researchers could reduce the growth of metastatic tumors with a molecule designed to target that RNA and trigger its destruction. The same strategy, they say, could be used to develop a new breast cancer treatment for…
AI can help tackle inequities and bias in healthcare but it also brings partiality issues of its own, experts explained in a Hot Topic session entitled "Artificial Intelligence and Implications for Health Equity: Will AI Improve Equity or Increase Disparities?" at RSNA.
Cancer cells spread by switching on and off abilities to sense their surroundings, move, hide and grow new tumors, a new study has found. This sensitivity to their surroundings is the key ability that makes small numbers of cancer cells better at spreading than other cells in a tumor.
Men die about five years earlier than women across the world. As initiatives to boost awareness of men’s health unfolded in November, an international project is bringing the forefront of AI research to tackle prostate cancer (PC), the second most frequent type of cancer in men and the third most lethal in Europe.
Women with incident and proliferative benign breast diseases (BBD) are likelier to develop breast cancer, a Spanish researcher explained during the 12th European Breast Cancer Conference in October. These findings support the idea of designing personalised breast cancer screening strategies to improve effectiveness.
Tumours with the same biology have different prognoses based on their method of detection, and this information should be taken into account when deciding which treatments might be needed, a Dutch researcher explained at the 12th European Breast Cancer Conference.
An autoimmune side effect of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) drugs could signal improved control of kidney cancer, according to a new study by researchers in UT Southwestern's Kidney Cancer Program (KCP).
In order to analyze tumors, they have to be cut into thin slices. Now, a new technology has been developed that makes pieces of the tumor visible in 3D without cutting them.
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation (FUS) has published its 2020 State of the Field Report, a 63-page annual update detailing new potential indications, laboratory research, clinical trials, treatments and growth in worldwide procedures performed in 2019.
Hologic, Inc. announced the commercial availability in Europe of its 3DQuorum Imaging Technology, Powered by Genius AI. The innovation was designed to help improve mammography efficiency and workflow, which is critical as clinics strive to manage the backlog of women whose routine breast screening was delayed due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
A French expert in breast imaging looked at the latest Deep Learning (DL) applications in her field, screening their strengths and weaknesses in improving breast cancer detection. It is really important to understand which types of data sets need to be checked when evaluating an AI model for image interpretation, according to Isabelle Thomassin-Naggara, Professor of Radiology at Sorbonne…
Is mammography still the best method for breast cancer screening? For a number of breast cancers, the latest scientific findings suggest otherwise. For more than a decade, Professor Christiane Kuhl MD, Director of the Clinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at the University Hospital RWTH Aachen, has researched the use of MRI in breast cancer screening.
The field of AI-enhanced imaging provides radiologists with an unprecedented opportunity to shape patient care, leading Austrian radiologist Katja Pinker-Domenig explained at ECR 2020.
AI in healthcare has been a trending, sometimes head-spinning topic for a few years – and, with the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians have been presented with a whole new range of AI products that may or may not meet their needs. When it comes to choosing one’s own set of tools, which criteria should prevail?
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted virtually every aspect of cancer care and research– from introducing new risks for cancer patients to disrupting the delivery of cancer treatment and the continuity of cancer research.
A team at Purdue University has developed a novel testing platform to evaluate how breast cancer cells respond to the recurrent stretching that occurs in the lungs during breathing. The technology is designed to better understand the effects that the local tissue has on metastatic breast cancer to study how metastases grow in a new tissue.
Setting up ‘COVID-19 free’ hospital areas for surgical patients could save lives during the second wave of the pandemic – reducing the risk of death from lung infections associated with coronavirus, a new global study reveals. Researchers working together in Brazil and beyond found that that patients who had their operation and hospital care in ‘COVID-19 free’ areas had better outcomes.…
Breast cancers that are detected in the interval between national screening programme mammograms have a worse prognosis than those detected at the time of a screening, even if they have the same biology, according to research presented at the 12th European Breast Cancer Conference. Analysis of results from over eight years’ follow-up of the international MINDACT randomised phase III clinical…
Spatial analytics offers greater clarity in the assessment of tumours beyond routine microscopic analysis. High-capacity digital image analysis enables new methods of spatial statistics to extract features not immediately distinguishable by visual inspection. These subvisual features reflect complex properties, such as intratumour heterogeneity and have the additional benefit that they can target…
New techniques of infrared-based technology are showing strong potential for cost-effective tissue analysis. Peter Gardner, Professor of Analytical and Biomedical Spectroscopy at the University of Manchester, outlined how hyperspectral imaging coupled with sophisticated computer algorithms can identify and grade cancerous tissue, as well as offer an indication of prognosis. The technique, he…
A study of almost 400,000 British participants has identified a new link between raised levels of the growth factor IGF-1 and increased thyroid cancer risk and has confirmed associations with breast, prostate and colorectal cancer. This could lead to new preventative strategies, including diet and lifestyle interventions.
On the occasion of this year's World Sepsis Day, we spoke with Elena Sukhacheva, Ph.D., director of medical and scientific affairs at Beckman Coulter, about the status quo and outlook on sepsis diagnostics. With the severity of sepsis symptoms, it’s easy to comprehend why it is invaluable to diagnose this disease properly and in a timely manner. Dr Sukhacheva takes an in-depth look at…
For most women with early breast cancer, a single dose of targeted radiotherapy during surgery is just as effective as conventional radiotherapy, which requires several visits to hospital after surgery. This combination of targeted radiotherapy (restricted to the area around the tumour) given immediately after surgery is called targeted intraoperative radiotherapy. Conventional radiotherapy…
Making the transition from clinician to a senior hospital management role can prove challenging. Professor Erika Denton did it – whilst also retaining some clinical responsibilities. A radiology background, Denton believes, is a major asset in making the move into high-level management. Currently the Medical Director of the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) in the east of England,…
Smoking is strongly linked to lower use of cancer screening services by women, and more advanced disease once cancer is diagnosed, new research reveals. Tobacco use is falling in many parts of the world, but it’s falling less rapidly among women than it is among men. And lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death among women, say the researchers. The evidence also suggests that women…
The accuracy of breast cancer diagnosis via diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) was equivalent both before and after the administration of a gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA), despite a value change in DTI parameters, finds a new research article. “However,” wrote first author Anabel M. Scaranelo of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre’s breast imaging division in Toronto, “the limitations in…
Four stranded DNA structures – known as G-quadruplexes – have been shown to play a role in certain types of breast cancer for the first time, providing a potential new target for personalised medicine, say scientists at the University of Cambridge. In 1953, Cambridge researchers Francis Crick and James Watson co-authored a study published in the journal Nature which showed that DNA in our…
A team of British and American scientists have discovered a way to slow the growth of breast cancer stem cells in the lab. The study led by Dr Bruno Simões and Professor Rob Clarke from The University of Manchester could eventually lead to combination drug therapies on previously untreatable breast cancers. Around three quarters of women who have breast cancer have what are known as oestrogen…
At around 30.5 percent, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in countries of the industrialized world. The number of cases has doubled since the 1980s: about 69,000 times a year women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer is a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer. As important receptors are missing here, treatment options and prognosis for such…
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Associate Professor Mikala Egeblad and her colleagues describe a newly understood way by which breast cancer cells sabotage a key player in the body’s immune system. That key player provides local immune surveillance by activating killer T-cells, but if it cannot mature and do its job, breast cancer cells can escape detection from the immune system,…
Computed tomography (CT) is one of the most important imaging options for the diagnostics of patients. For a long time, in clinical routine CT technology mostly showed the Hounsfield Units (HU) that are indicated in the grayscale. However, the Dual Energy CT (DECT) enables colored X-ray images, therefore significantly improving examination methods. “We can also do material separation and get a…
Following success of telepathology in the eastern region of Quebec, the service is set to be further expanded across its remote areas. There are also moves towards a fully digital service at some sites, to introduce tele-autopsy into remote regions and extend the geographical coverage further across the region. The latest developments were outlined at the Digital Pathology and AI Congress in…
Hamamatsu Photonics invites you to join us for a panel discussion with pathologist Matthew Hanna, MD and IT Manager Nikolas Stathonikos on Thursday, 9 July at 17:00 CET. In this rapidly evolving healthcare landscape triggered by COVID-19, pathology, and remote diagnosis have been elevated to critical topics. These two experts, representing both the clinical and information technology areas, will…
What makes tumor cells turn murderous? The Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM is investigating the mechanisms of metastasis formation – and searching for approaches for new treatments in the fight against cancer. Among other things, the research team at Fraunhofer ITEM has developed a method that enables them to analyze entire lymph nodes.
A receptor in the cell layer that lines the blood vessels from the inside stimulates both the formation of new blood vessels in tumors and metastasis.
Computational pathology has increased applications for diagnosis, prediction of prognosis and therapy response, facilitating the movement of healthcare towards personalised medicine. Coupled with deep learning, such tools are ever more efficient and robust within research and clinical settings. The growing role of computational pathology was highlighted by Professor Andrew Janowczyk at the…
Death rates from prostate cancer are predicted to fall in 2020 in the EU, largely due to better diagnosis and treatment, according to new research published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology. In the latest predictions for cancer deaths in the EU for 2020, researchers led by Carlo La Vecchia (MD), Professor at the School of Medicine, University of Milan (Italy), show that since 2015…
Students from EPFL in Switzerland teamed up with startup IcosaMed to develop the SmartBra – the first piece of smart clothing that can be used for cancer prevention. “Our smart-clothing technology is designed to detect cancer at the earliest stages. It uses a non-invasive, painless method based on frequent ultrasound monitoring,” says Hugo Vuillet, one of the students on the development…
The world’s only online image-based COVID-19 diagnosis improvement tool for healthcare workers is launched by University of Sydney spinoff DetectED-X, drawing on its global experience and outcomes in breast cancer detection and patient cases from the coronavirus pandemic. The cloud-based technology will help doctors and radiologists diagnose cases faster and more accurately. Computed tomography…
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…
A group of researchers led by Leif Schröder from the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) have found a way to detect metastases in certain types of cancer in the brain at an early stage, using only minimal amounts of contrast agent. To this end, the team uses a synthetic molecule that helps to detect the formation of new blood vessels, producing much more sophisticated…
A growth hormone called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is likely to play a role in the development of breast cancer, according to new research published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology. IGF-1 is already known to encourage the growth and proliferation of cancer cells. Now, two analyses of information from several hundred thousand women enrolled in the UK Biobank study have…
Errors in breast imaging: the subject is vexing. How to avoid or address errors are also concerning. These subjects lay at the core of a presentation to radiologists during the recent annual congress of the British Institute of Radiology, when consultant radiologist Dr Rosalind Given-Wilson described the how, where, and what of errors or near misses, along with their impact on patients and…
Scientists from the project SOLUS (Smart optical and ultrasound diagnostics of breast cancer) under the EU funding framework programme Horizon2020 have developed a non-invasive, multi-modal, imaging system that uses ultrasound and light technologies to easily differentiate between benign or malignant lesions – without having to perform a biopsy. Similar to a pregnancy ultrasound appointment, a…
If chromosomes are unevenly distributed or otherwise altered during cell division, this normally damages the daughter cells and impairs their viability. Not in cancer cells, however, in which chromosome instability can actually confer a growth advantage under certain circumstances. Moreover, as scientists from the German Cancer Research Center have now demonstrated in mice, changes in the…
The publication of the results of the Dutch-Belgian lung cancer screening trial (NELSON) supports recent calls to introduce lung cancer screening programmes throughout Europe. In light of the scientific evidence, lung cancer screening should be firmly embedded in any initiative launched by the European Commission and the Member States in the fight against cancer. As the leading cause of death…
Scientists have created one of the most detailed maps of breast cancer ever achieved, revealing how genetic changes shape the physical tumour landscape. An international team of scientists, brought together by a £20 million Grand Challenge award from Cancer Research UK, has developed intricate maps of breast tumour samples, with a resolution smaller than a single cell. These maps show how the…
Biologists have discovered a way to stop cells from one of the most aggressive types of breast cancer spreading in the lab. The study points towards new avenues of research to combat the devastating disease. The results of the study of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer by the team from the Universities of Manchester, Glasgow and Sheffield and funded by Breast Cancer Now are published in Oncogene.…
Supermicrosurgery – operations on vessels ranging from 0.3 to 0.8 millimeters – is limited by the dexterity of the surgeon’s hands. To bypass this limitation, robots can assist in the surgical process. One such robot is MUSA – the world’s first robotic platform for supermicrosurgery, which was co-developed by researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and the TU/e…
Eric Prossnitz, PhD, from the University of New Mexico Health Services and his team hope to help 93 million obese Americans fight their fat. In a paper published in Science Translational Medicine, they reported that G-1, a cancer-fighting compound they discovered some years ago, reduces fat in obese mice. Although G-1 is currently in phase 1 clinical trials for cancer, Prossnitz and his team are…
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…
The need to consider a formal recommendation on early screening for lung cancer was acknowledged by the Cross Party Group for Cancer, held at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh in January. Attended by over 40 people representing patients, the medical community, and the pharmaceutical industry as well as political advisers and Members of the Scottish Parliament, the Group agreed to write to the…
One of the causes of breast cancer may be inflammation triggered by harmful bacteria say researchers. Scientists say their idea – as yet unproven – is supported by the available evidence, which is that bacterial induced inflammation is linked to cancer. The paper in the journal Medical Hypotheses is by Lancaster University medical student Auday Marwaha, Professor Jim Morris from the…
A new type of scan that involves magnetising molecules allows doctors to see in real-time which regions of a breast tumour are active, according to research at the University of Cambridge. The research was now published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This is the first time researchers have demonstrated that this scanning technique, called carbon-13 hyperpolarised imaging, can…
Researchers at Cardiff University have discovered a new type of killer T-cell that offers hope of a “one-size-fits-all” cancer therapy. T-cell therapies for cancer - where immune cells are removed, modified and returned to the patient’s blood to seek and destroy cancer cells - are the latest paradigm in cancer treatments. The most widely-used therapy, known as CAR-T, is personalised to each…
A technique that enables patients suffering from heart conditions to hold their breath safely for over 5 minutes could have potential as part of a new treatment for cardiac arrhythmias, say researchers at the University of Birmingham. In a new study, published in Frontiers in Physiology, researchers initially proposed the technique as a new means for earlier diagnosis of ischaemic heart disease.…
The updated guideline for estrogen and progesterone receptor (ER/PgR) testing in breast cancer, published jointly by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), reaffirms much of the original guidance and has more specific recommendations for handling and reporting cases with low ER expression. Globally, more than 1 million women are diagnosed…
A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has discovered a new personalised tool to detect cancer, predict patient survivability and how well a cancer patient would respond to immunotherapy. This tool is a specially-designed cancer 'scorecard' to be used with the standard blood test for cancer (also known as liquid biopsy). This 'scorecard', which the team termed as…
Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is on the increase internationally. In Germany, for example, around 14,500 cases of PJI in hip and knee replacements occur annually. 5,100 of those are caused by multidrug resistant pathogens. ‘Eighty-seven percent of those affected die within five years,’ orthopaedic surgeon Professor Rudolf Ascherl MD pointed out during the Heraeus Symposium held at the…
A computer algorithm has been shown to be as effective as human radiologists in spotting breast cancer from x-ray images. The international team behind the study, which includes researchers from Google Health, DeepMind, Imperial College London, the NHS and Northwestern University in the US, designed and trained an artificial intelligence (AI) model on mammography images from almost 29,000 women.…
Each year almost 80,000 new patients in France alone receive fluoropyrimidines, a group of anti-cancer drugs including 5-FU which is normally administered intravenously to treat digestive, breast and head and neck cancer. However, fluoropyrimidines-based chemotherapies can cause severe toxicities (incidence at around 20%) and sometimes lethal toxicity (incidence between 0.1 and 1%) with part of…
Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) is championed as offering significant benefits, such as improving disease evaluation for prostate cancer patients. During an intense session in genito-urinary cancer at ECR 2019, three key speakers focused on the advantages over conventional imaging modalities as well as discussing new PET (Positron Emission Tomography) tracers.
Teams at Helmholtz Zentrum München, LMU Munich and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a new algorithm that enables automated detection of metastases at the level of single disseminated cancer cells in whole mice. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. More than 90% of cancer patients die of distal metastases rather than as a direct result of the primary…
Although breast cancer (BC) mammography screening enables early detection of breast cancer, mammography presents issues such as variability between the radiology readings and shortage of radiologists. This area of medical imaging is where artificial intelligence (AI) could help make the biggest difference and improve patient outcome.
A new, portable breast imaging system under development in Buffalo has the potential to better identify breast cancer in women with dense breast tissue. That is among the findings of a study published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. The study was led by University at Buffalo researchers in collaboration with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and Windsong…
Hologic announced the extension of the CE Mark for its LOCalizer radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag for long-term placement. The tag can now be implanted more than 30 days prior to a breast-conserving surgery, providing even greater flexibility and convenience to patients and providers. The LOCalizer wire-free guidance system is a non-radioactive, radiofrequency localization system designed…
Breast cancer screening is a well-designed and scientifically proven, evidence-based procedure, but has pitfalls such as under-detection and over-diagnosis. Surgery or radiotherapy may have serious consequences on health and must therefore be administered in carefully selected patients.
MRI is now indispensable for diagnosing diseases and monitoring therapies. However, the ongoing discussion on gadolinium deposits in the brain has intensified the search for alternatives. Dr Daniel Paech of the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg, Germany, discussed potential solutions to acquire high-quality images without contrast agents.
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…
Doctors who give advanced breast cancer patients just one estimate, such as 12 months, for the average amount of time they are expected to live are only accurate 20-30% of the time, according to Dr Belinda Kiely, medical oncologist and senior research fellow at the University of Sydney, Australia.
Breast cancer could be detected up to five years before there are any clinical signs of it, using a blood test that identifies the body’s immune response to substances produced by tumour cells, according to new research presented at the 2019 NCRI Cancer Conference. Cancer cells produce proteins called antigens that trigger the body to make antibodies against them – autoantibodies. Researchers…
For lung cancer patients, life expectancy has hardly improved since 1970. A ten-year survival is 5%, making this the leading cause of death among all cancers. One reason is that, in most cases, the disease is diagnosed far too late. Professor Mathias Prokop is among leading advocates of low-dose CT screening for lung cancer for high risk patients.
A team of researchers lead by Helmholtz Zentrum München and the University of Würzburg identified an enzyme as a novel and strong inhibitor of ferroptosis, the iron dependent form of cell death: ferroptosis suppressor protein-1, short FSP1. This protein is expressed in a variety of cancer cell lines and therefore represents an attractive drug target for cancer treatment. In fact, the first FSP1…
Early childhood life in the womb is particularly sensitive to the effects of environmental pollutants. A team from Empa and the University of Vienna has now for the first time been able to show how a pollutant from contaminated food – the environmental estrogen zearalenone – spreads in the womb and is metabolized into harmful metabolites. Xenoestrogens are absorbed through the environment,…
Breast cancer is rare for women under 40. So, a breast cancer diagnosis can be shocking news for a young woman to hear. “Breast cancer in young women can have its own risk factors and traits, and young women have their own considerations when deciding on a treatment,” says Nadine Tung, MD, head of breast medical oncology and cancer genetics at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).…
Tiny particles that can fight cancer or that can easily pass through any interface within our body are a great promise for medicine. But there is little knowledge thus far about what exactly will happen to nanoparticles within our tissues and whether or not they can cause disease by themselves. Within an international research consortium, Empa scientists have now developed guidelines that should…
Scientists at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich have used machine learning methods to improve optoacoustic imaging. This relatively young medical imaging technique can be used for applications such as visualizing blood vessels, studying brain activity, characterizing skin lesions and diagnosing breast cancer. However, quality of the rendered images is very dependent on the number and…
Pathology is embracing digitisation just as radiology did over 20 years ago and both specialties are looking at new ways to integrate each other in their workflows. AI could fuel this sparkling alliance, giving it further means to improve cancer treatment.
When it comes to genetics, Estonia is considered a trailblazer, as the ambitious Estonian Genome Project (Eesti Geenivaramu) shows. Its objective is to test the genome of every citizen for the risk of diseases. Dr Jaanus Pikani talks about the initial difficulties which the genome project encountered and about its potential for Estonian – and possibly worldwide – healthcare.
Scientists have determined a new way to protect the hair follicle from chemotherapy in an effort to prevent hair loss as a result of cancer treatments. Researchers based at The University of Manchester have discovered a new strategy for how to protect hair follicles from chemotherapy, which could lead to new treatments that prevent chemotherapy-induced hair loss – arguably one of the most…
A team of researchers has developed a novel technology that could sensitively and accurately detect and classify cancer cells, as well as determine the disease aggressiveness from the least invasive biopsies. With this new technology called STAMP (Sequence-Topology Assembly for Multiplexed Profiling), comprehensive disease information can be obtained faster, at a much earlier stage of the…
Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) can send radiologists on a frustrating scavenger hunt: metastases were detected but the primary cancer is nowhere to be seen. Professor Alwin Krämer, Head of the Clinical Cooperation Unit Molecular Haematology/Oncology at University Hospital Heidelberg and the German Cancer Research Center, explains strategies for dealing with CUP.
Investigators from the Biomedical Research Institute of Malaga [(IBIMA)-CIMES-UMA, Malaga Spain] and collaborators have published the first pilot study to examine the use of a non-invasive liquid biopsy in early diagnosis of breast cancer. This study was unique in that the ctDNA analyses was performed before any invasive diagnostic procedure or treatment. To achieve their goal, the researchers…
In its latest draft guidance, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) encourages inclusion of males in breast cancer clinical trials. Historically, males either have not been included in clinical trials for drugs to treat breast cancer or inclusion of males in those trials has been very limited; when finalized, the draft guidance will provide clarity for industry regarding clinical…
The latest study by the German Society for Haematology and Oncology (DGHO), ‘Prognosis for population-based morbidity for common cancers in Germany – impact on provision’ has made it clear that due to demographic developments in Germany and to medical advances in oncology, the requirements for cancer patients’ care are ever more diverse. The increase in newly diagnosed cancer patients is…
Targeting medical treatment to an ailing body part is a practice as old as medicine itself. A Band-Aid is placed on a skinned knee. Drops go into itchy eyes. A broken arm goes into a cast. But often what ails us is inside the body and is not so easy to reach. In such cases, a treatment like surgery or chemotherapy might be called for. A pair of researchers in Caltech's Division of Engineering and…
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…
Nurses’ knowledge of cancer and screening processes varies significantly across the globe – potentially resulting in unnecessary deaths where knowledge falls short – new research reports. It is therefore vitally important to assess varying levels of knowledge in nurses across the world, a new study led by researchers from the University of Surrey reports.
In the wake of an already devastating cancer diagnosis, European cancer patients often grapple with debilitating symptoms and side effects. For these patients, the eSMART (Electronic Symptom Management System Remote Technology) trial provides new hope for improved management of the side effects and symptoms of cancer, and with it, improved quality of life. Now, the eSMART Consortium presented its…
Within a groaning 140-tonne particle accelerator a patient receives proton therapy, whilst down a few corridors, acupuncture needles are being placed and herbs mixed. Tradition and high tech walk hand in hand in Taiwanese healthcare. That’s what we learn during our visit to several facilities near Taipei.
Research led by the University of Birmingham has found important new ways that the BRCA1 gene functions which could help develop our understanding of the development of ovarian and breast cancers. The research, published in Nature, was led by experts at the University of Birmingham’s Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology and Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences and is part of a five-year…
In view of the advent of personalised medicine and holistic therapy many experts predict the end of healthcare as we know it. However, in many places it is ‘healthcare business as usual’. In our interview, Dr Christoph Zindel, President Diagnostic Imaging at Siemens Healthineers, explains where he sees radiology bridging the gap between symptom-centred treatment today and the systemic…
As reporting workload for pathology departments continues to rise rapidly, artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions are set to play an increasing role in daily practice. ‘I see this as the future of digital pathology,’ said histopathologist Professor David Snead at the Digital Pathology and Artificial Intelligence Congress held in London.
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…
An anti-inflammatory drug called ketorolac, given before surgery, can promote long-term survival in animal models of cancer metastasis, a team of scientists has found. Furthermore, so-called "pro-resolution" therapies can also trigger the immune system to eliminate metastatic cells. The research also suggests that flanking chemotherapy with anti-inflammatory drugs can unleash anti-tumor…
A new deep learning algorithm, which demonstrates the potential of artificial Intelligence (AI) to support pathologists, has been developed for PD-L1 scoring in tumour cells and immune cells in urothelial carcinoma samples. Speaking at the Digital Pathology and Artificial Intelligence Congress in London last December, Dr Michel Vandenberghe, from AstraZeneca, outlined how PD-L1 expression level…
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…
Fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapies are widely used, at least in the European area, for treating various types of cancer including digestive, breast, throat and brain cancer. Fluoropyrimidines are a group of anticancer drugs including the well-known 5-FluoroUracil (5-FU) and the prodrug capecitabine.
A breast cancer test has been found that helps doctors make treatment decisions for some breast cancer patients, following research carried out at Queen Mary University of London and funded by Cancer Research UK. The test was successful in predicting whether chemotherapy would be beneficial for patients with the most common type of breast cancer (oestrogen-receptor positive, HER2-negative),…
Women with early, low risk, hormone-driven breast cancer are less likely to have a recurrence of their disease if they have radiotherapy after surgery, as well as anti-hormone treatment, according to results from a trial that has followed 869 women for ten years. New findings from the 8 A trial of the Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group (ABCSG), presented at the ESTRO 38 conference,…
Cognitive impairment associated with cancer, also known as “chemobrain”, has gained recognition as a complication of the disease and its treatment, as it can negatively affect the daily lives of cancer patients and survivors. Chemobrain can be subtle yet persistent, with some cancer patients reporting difficulties related to memory and attention even months after completing their treatment.…
Digital pathology, combined with the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI), is one of the most promising fields for the delivery of precision medicine. In the first keynote address for the 5th Digital Pathology & AI Congress (Europe) held in London last December, Professor of Pathology, Marilyn Bui, focused on how digital pathology is impacting on precision medicine. During her address,…
The Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will be launching a new report by the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) on introducing more automation in the NHS. As families and businesses face a 50 year high tax burden, the government has a duty to provide good value for money. The NHS is an essential service which needs to see further improvement and less money wasted.…
Research has revealed that a new blood test is able to detect disease relapse up to two years earlier than imaging in patients with early-stage breast cancer. The research, carried out by the University of Leicester and Imperial College London and funded by Cancer Research UK, showed that the blood test was able to detect 89 per cent of all relapses, on average 8.9 months quicker than imaging.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to Balversa (erdafitinib), a treatment for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer that has a type of susceptible genetic alteration known as FGFR3 or FGFR2, and that has progressed during or following prior platinum-containing chemotherapy. Patients should be selected for therapy with Balversa…
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…
Scientists have identified key changes in immune cells within cancerous tumours that could help improve the development of treatments. The study, which has been published in the journal Cancer Cell, also found a set of genes that are expressed at high levels in breast cancer tumours and linked to more aggressive cancer types. Researchers say the discoveries offer clues to diagnosis and predicting…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced important new steps to modernize breast cancer screening and help empower patients with more information when they are considering important decisions regarding their breast health care. For the first time in more than 20 years of regulating mammography facilities, the agency is proposing amendments to key regulations that would help improve…
Dr Georg Ralle, General Secretary of the association ‘Network against Colon Cancer’ since 2012 as well as moderator of the symposium ‘The New Measurement of Oncology’, hosted by the National Centre for Tumour Diseases Heidelberg (NCT), clearly voices his dissatisfaction with the German ‘wait it out mentality’. He sharply criticised the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) and here also…
The concept of artificial intelligence (AI) has been touted as an important aid for healthcare for at least adecade. However, despite years of research and major technical and scientific advances we are only at the beginning of its use in a medical environment. For AI to function correctly huge amounts of relevant data need to be accessible to its algorithms. France is conscious of being behind…
It has long been thought that stress contributes to cancer progression. Scientists from the University of Basel and the University Hospital of Basel have deciphered the molecular mechanisms linking breast cancer metastasis with increased stress hormones.
Molecular imaging is an exciting field for scientists who are willing to explore and innovate, prominent Spanish physicist José María Benlloch pointed out when he reviewed some of the most impacting and recent innovations in his portfolio during a meeting in Valencia. ‘Our mission is to develop innovative sensitive and harmless medical imaging instruments for early detection of diseases and…
Cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy could soon benefit from a new AI that is able to identify and predict the development of different combinations of symptoms – helping to alleviate much of the distress caused by their occurrence and severity. In the first study of its kind, published by Nature Scientific Reports, researchers from the University of Surrey and the University of California…
Fujifilm is a pioneer in digital radiography technology since the early 1980s: since then we have continuously been developing innovative technologies, creating products that deliver greater benefits and improved care to both customers and patients. In the breast screening segment, Fujifilm's strong commitment to continuous technology evolution and a clear commitment in providing innovative…
A study provides new insight into how the stiffening of breast tissue plays a role in breast cancer development. By examining how mammary cells respond in a stiffness-changing hydrogel, bioengineers at the University of California San Diego discovered that several pathways work together to promote the transformation of breast cells into cancer cells. The work could inspire new approaches to…
The pill could be blurring your social judgement ‒ but perhaps not enough so you'd notice. By challenging women to identify complex emotional expressions like pride or contempt, rather than basic ones like happiness or fear, scientists have revealed subtle changes in emotion recognition associated with oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use. Published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, their study found…
Several research groups at Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) are working on digitally combating cancer. The main goal is to combine and jointly evaluate existing information. With 500,000 new cancer cases every year in Germany alone, it is worthwhile comparing experiences with different diagnostic and treatment methods, thus allowing more patients to benefit from the most promising approaches. In…
Nanoparticles can be found in processed food (e.g. food additives), consumer products (e.g. sunscreen) and even in medicine. While these tiny particles could have large untapped potential and novel new applications, they may have unintended and harmful side effects, according to a recent study by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS). Specifically, NUS researchers found that…
The first report from a phase II, multi-center clinical trial indicates that a newer, more aggressive form of radiation therapy — stereotactic radiation — can extend long-term survival for some patients with stage-IV cancers while maintaining their quality of life. The study is published in the January issue of International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics (Red Journal),…
For decades, women have shouldered most of the burden of contraception. However, long-term use of female birth control pills could increase the risk for side effects such as blood clots or breast cancer. Now, inspired by colorful layered cocktails, researchers have developed a medium-term, reversible male contraceptive. They report their results in the journal ACS Nano. Common forms of male…
In breast cancer, one of the most common cancers in women, tumors contain a small amount of so-called cancer stem-like cells (CSCs). Being able to eliminate breast-cancer stem-like cells in a targeted way is essential for developing successful therapies — conventional treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy followed by drug intake, do not target CSCs. A better understanding of the…
In a recent study published in the journal Anticancer Research, Saint Louis University scientists, together with a visiting scientist from Fujian Medical University in China, have discovered evidence that oolong tea can lead to DNA damage of breast cancer cells and inhibit the growth and progression of tumors in the lab, potentially offering a non-toxic strategy to prevent breast cancer. The…
Pete Valenti, Hologic’s division president of breast and skeletal health solutions, talks about how AI is driving innovation in breast health technology. Underpinning that evolution more recently has been the acquisition of two organisations – digital specimen radiography specialists Faxitron Bioptics and BioZorb marker manufacturer Focal Therapeutics.
The European Society of Pathology (ESP) holds its European Congress of Pathology (ECP) at different venues annually. This year, in Spain, 3,448 delegates from 87 countries attended. There, ESP president Dina Tiniakos spoke about the increasing role of pathology in precision medicine including challenges linked to digitisation. ‘Precision medicine is the centre-point for cancer management, but…
A team of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers led by Bioengineering Professor Stephen Boppart has successfully visualized the tumor microenvironment of human breast tissue shortly after it was surgically removed from a patient in the operating room. The researchers achieved this using a new portable optical imaging system developed in Boppart's lab.
Measuring tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is gaining importance in immunotherapy, but other variables must also be considered to boost prognosis and prediction accuracy, a leading pathologist argued at EBCC 11 last March in Barcelona. When it comes to prognosis and prediction for immunotherapy, a potentially new variable is emerging – TILs – white blood cells that have left the blood…
In general, women who have had children have a lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who have never given birth. However, new research has found that moms don’t experience this breast cancer protection until many years later and may face elevated risk for more than 20 years after their last pregnancy. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health, along with members of the…
Many people who are diagnosed with cancer will undergo some type of surgery to treat their disease — almost 95 percent of people with early-diagnosed breast cancer will require surgery and it’s often the first line of treatment for people with brain tumors, for example. But despite improvements in surgical techniques over the past decade, the cancer often comes back after the procedure. Now,…
Younger women who have recently had a child may have a higher risk of breast cancer than their peers of the same age who do not have children, according to a large-scale analysis co-led by a University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher. The findings, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, may seem contrary to conventional wisdom that childbirth is…
The claim of a chinese professor has caused quite a controversy: He Jiankui announced that he successfully modified human DNA to prevent two girls from contracting HIV. Upon the leak of this research, ethicists and scientists alike condemned Jiankui's gene editing in humans. West Virginia University Vice President and Executive Dean for Health Sciences Dr. Clay Marsh says that although “a lot…
MRI offers unequalled sensitivity and specificity in breast cancer detection. Yet, it is poorly accepted preoperatively. Recently, eminent radiologist Francesco Sardanelli, professor for radiology at Milan University and Chief of Radiology at the IRCCS Policlinico San Donato in Italy, unveiled preliminary results that could further MRI acceptance among multidisciplinary teams.
Using technology similar to the type that powers facial and speech recognition on a smartphone, researchers at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have trained a computer to analyze breast cancer images and then classify the tumors with high accuracy. In a study published in the journal NPJ Breast Cancer, researchers reported they used a form of artificial…
Engineers have developed a new high-quality ultrasound transducer that could dramatically lower the cost of ultrasound systems. The innovation – created by a team from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada – is portable, wearable and can potentially be powered by a smartphone. Study lead, Dr Carlos Gerardo, from the university’s Department of Electrical and Computer…
Contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has proved in trials to be more accurate than computed tomography and MRI and can help eliminate the need for unnecessary biopsies and surgery. Dr Richard Barr, Professor of Radiology at Northeast Ohio Medical University, explains the benefits of the modality.
The selection of a first-line chemotherapy drug to treat many types of cancer is often a clear-cut decision governed by standard-of-care protocols, but what drug should be used next if the first one fails? That’s where Georgia Institute of Technology researchers believe their new open source decision support tool could come in. Using machine learning to analyze RNA expression tied to…
The complex structure of breast tumours makes treatment a medical challenge. A promising, novel selenium-based breast cancer nanoparticle therapy by the Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib) together with other partners in the EU-project Neosetac could change that: It has proved to boost the active agent delivery and assure it's active only in the target tissue while also bringing…
After screening 15 000 women over a period of five years, a major clinical study in Sweden has shown that 3D mammography, or breast tomosynthesis, detects over 30% more cancers compared to traditional mammography – with a majority of the detected tumours proving to be invasive cancers.
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,…
Homecare in the Netherlands worsened. ‘The organisations grew bigger, involving more and expensive management,’ observed nurse Jos de Blok. ‘Registration procedures became unnecessarily complicated. I enjoyed my job when I started in 1986, but that feeling changed. I knew there should be an easier way, without managers and at a lower cost. So, in 2006, I began the Buurtzorg concept.’ This…
A pathology test that applies artificial intelligence (AI) to characterize tissue samples can accurately predict clinically significant prostate cancer disease progression following surgery, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
One in two women and one in three men will likely be diagnosed with dementia, Parkinson's disease, or stroke in their lifetime, estimate Dutch researchers in an observational study
Historical bias is a key reason why biomedical researchers continue to study the same 10 percent of all human genes while ignoring many genes known to play roles in disease, according to a study led by Thomas Stoeger and Luís Amaral of Northwestern University, and colleagues. This bias is bolstered by research funding mechanisms and social forces.
Pancreatic cancer is currently very difficult to detect while it is still resectable. A new blood test developed by researchers at Lund University in Sweden, Herlev Hospital, Knight Cancer Center and Immunovia AB, can detect pancreatic cancer in the very earliest stages of the disease.
Driving breast cancer screening compliance is an essential part of improving clinical outcomes, and one way to do this is to educate women about their breast density, advises Tracy Accardi, Hologic’s Global Vice President of Research and Development for Breast Health & Skeletal Solutions.
Tomosynthesis is under international review, with a surprising number of enticing studies carried out in Northern European countries, among them one headed by Professor Sophia Zackrisson at Lund University, Sweden. In our interview, she not only revealed surprising trial results, but also shared her thoughts on practical implementation and unusual speed-reading methods. ‘Our institute’s…
Hologic’s new Viera portable breast ultrasound system is now available for purchase in the U.S. and Europe. Delivering exceptional image quality at the point of care, the Viera wireless ultrasound scanner provides physicians with the opportunity for earlier diagnoses and an optimized clinical workflow – all at a fraction of the cost of larger, mid-tier cart systems.
The UNESCO World Heritage City Bergen is seen as the gateway to the fiords of Norway. However, for radiologists the city offers an even more interesting attraction than Scandinavian landscapes. Bergen features one of the largest randomised control trials to compare digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) with digital mammography (DM): the To-Be trial. Professor Solveig Hofvind, head of BreastScreen…
Liquid biopsies can increasingly help diagnose and monitor breast cancer, and tracking circulating tumour cells (CTC) in metastatic patients could prove effective in these applications and treatment planning. Efforts are currently underway to demonstrate CTC clinical use and much can be learned from completed studies in prostate cancer, speaker Michail Ignatiadis MD PhD highlighted in a dedicated…
‘Scalp cooling successfully prevents alopecia in breast cancer patients undergoing anthracycline or taxane-based chemotherapy’, according to the latest clinical data published in The Breast. The paper, written by clinicians from the Berlin Oncology Center, Germany, revealed that 71% of women who took part on the study retained their hair as a result of using the Paxman Scalp Cooler. Scalp…
A test that analyzes free-floating DNA in the blood may be able to detect early-stage lung cancer, a preliminary report from the ongoing Circulating Cell-Free Genome Atlas (CCGA) study suggests. Lead study author Geoffrey R. Oxnard, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute: “There is an unmet need globally for early-detection tests for lung cancer that can be easily implemented by health-care…
Menarini Silicon Biosystems announced that a new study has found that using circulating tumor cells (CTCs), a form of liquid biopsy, holds promise as a key tool for developing a staging system that can have a significant impact in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC). In this study, the largest CTCs pooled analysis study to date, researchers determined that the CTC count could be used…
A small study of adults with the most common form of pancreatic cancer adds to evidence that patients with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations long linked to a high risk of breast cancer have poorer overall survival rates than those without the mutations. The same study also found that those with BRCA1 or BRCA2 had better survival rates with platinum-based chemotherapy, compared with similar patients…
Tracy Accardi, Hologic’s Vice President (Global R&D), spoke of the importance of innovation, tomosynthesis, artificial intelligence/deep learning and open dialogue with the radiology community. Hologic addresses a broad spectrum of gynaecological, perinatal, aesthetic, skeletal and breast women’s health issues. To enhance this approach, Accardi, explained the importance of working closely…
‘Breast cancer rates are continuously increasing, and we don’t yet have a means of prevention,’ said Dr Clemens Kaiser, from the Medical Faculty Mannheim, at Heidelberg University, who believes the only way to save more patients from death, after providing the best possible diagnostics procedures, is via precision medicine: the right treatment at the earliest possible time. The radiologist…
Weak, easily broken bones are an epidemic in the United States. They’re often tied to osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to degenerate over time. This makes them less flexible, more brittle, and easier to break. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, more than 44 million Americans aged 50 and older either have or face the threat of developing osteoporosis due to low bone…
An epidemiological study conducted by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Seoul National University suggests that persons deficient in vitamin D may be at much greater risk of developing diabetes. The scientists studied a cohort of 903 healthy adults (mean age: 74) with no indications of either pre-diabetes or diabetes during clinic visits from 1997 to 1999,…
A far-reaching study conducted by scientists at Cincinnati Children’s reports that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)—best known for causing mononucleosis—also increases the risks for some people of developing seven other major diseases.
Jan Walker, a retired administrative assistant to the superintendent of Boaz City Schools, was getting ready for her regular doctor visit and noticed a lump on her neck. Her primary care physician examined it and determined it was a simple swollen lymph node. Two months later, she began to lose feeling on the right side of her throat and noticed the lump had increased in size. After seeing other…
Cancer is a genetic disease caused by abnormal changes over time to genes that control cell function, typically starting in a single cell (an acquired mutation) and often not linked to an inherited genetic mutation. In other words, most cancers happen by chance. Only about 5 to 10 percent of cancers are due to an inherited genetic mutation, says Monique Lubaton, MGC, CGC, cancer genetic counselor…
A Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researcher has compiled evidence from more than 100 publications to show how obesity increases risk of 13 different cancers in young adults. The meta-analysis describes how obesity has shifted certain cancers to younger age groups, and intensified cellular mechanisms promoting the diseases. Cancer typically associated with older adults over 50…
Extensive surgery involving mastectomy and removal of several lymph nodes can be safely avoided for more women with some types of breast cancer, if they receive targeted drugs before surgery, according to research presented at the 11th European Breast Cancer Conference. The study focused on women with HER2 positive breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease, who were given a targeted drug…
As early detection and treatment of breast cancer improves, more and more women are surviving the disease. However, they still face challenges, which include determining the moment when it might be reasonable to state they are “cured” of the disease, and obtaining life insurance. “In the Netherlands, most applications for life insurance are accepted, but not for cancer survivors. A lot of…
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…
Healthy women who carry a breast cancer-causing mutation in the BRCA1 gene, not only reduce their risk of developing the disease but also their chances of dying from it if they have both breasts removed, according to new research presented at the 11th European Breast Cancer Conference. However, the study also found that for women with a mutation in the BRCA2 gene, there was no difference in their…
The decline in cancer of the intestines – colorectal cancer – is one of the major success stories of the past 30 years in Europe say researchers, as they predict that in 2018 death rates from the disease will continue to fall by around seven per cent compared to 2012. In a study published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology, researchers predict that death rates in the European…
A new imaging technology to grade tumour biopsies has been developed by a team of scientists led by the Department of Physics and the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London. Publishing their results in the journal Convergent Science Physical Oncology, they describe how their new method promises to significantly reduce the subjectivity and variability in grading the severity…
Engineering researchers at the University of Arkansas have moved closer to developing an alternative method of detecting and possibly treating breast cancer. Terahertz images of breast tumors taken from mice accurately detected cancerous tissue with a high level of specificity.
With immunotherapy, bigger lesions may be spotted on CT, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the disease is progressing. As treatment works, it can cause what has become known as pseudo disease progression; and this is just one of the many revolutions immunotherapy is triggering in oncology imaging, Professor Clarisse Dromain (Lausanne/CH) explained as she opened the session dedicated to this…
What beats digital mammography to detect breast cancer in asymptomatic women? Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) – was a big discussion at RSNA 2017. Sarah M Friedewald MD, medical director of the Lynn Sage Comprehensive Breast Center of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and its division chief of breast and women’s imaging, discussed the clinical implications of DBT for routine…
Two new systems developed by Hologic Inc. recently received the European CE Mark: The MyoSure Manual and the Brevera Breast Biopsy System with CorLumina Imaging Technology.
Researchers at Imperial College London (ICL) have shown how the Microsoft HoloLens headset can be used during reconstructive lower limb surgery. Surgeons at London’s St Mary’s Hospital are using the device, a self-contained computer headset that immerses the wearer in ‘mixed reality’, enabling them to interact with holograms visible through the visor.
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…
Enhancing the diagnosis of breast cancer is the stated goal of a research team at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg. The scientists have combined an advanced method of diffusion-weighted MR imaging with intelligent image analysis methods to detect malignant changes in tissues. This method may help avoid many control biopsies following suspicious findings from mammography…
One of the biggest challenges in treating prostate cancer is distinguishing men who have aggressive and potentially lethal disease from men whose cancer is slow-growing and unlikely to metastasize. For years, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, cancer grade and tumor stage have been used to sort prostate cancer patients into risk groups established by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.…
A new optical imaging system developed at Columbia University uses red and near-infrared light to identify breast cancer patients who will respond to chemotherapy. The imaging system may be able to predict response to chemotherapy as early as two weeks after beginning treatment. Findings from a first pilot study of the new imaging system—a noninvasive method of measuring blood flow dynamics in…
Avoidance of side-effects of chemotherapy is particularly important in the elderly, but finding the balance between reduced toxicity and maximum effectiveness is not always easy. A trial carried out by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer, published in The Lancet Oncology, shows that, in older patients with HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer (an aggressive breast…
Worldwide Breast Cancer, a global health charity focused on finding breast cancer better, uses Know Your Lemons, an innovative campaign and educational tool to teach a diverse population about breast cancer symptoms and detection.
A new genetic study by UK-based scientists suggests that immunotherapy drugs could prove to be an effective treatment for some breast cancer patients. Scientists from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, near Cambridge – one of the world’s leading genome centres – and their collaborators, have identified particular genetic changes in a DNA repair mechanism in breast cancer. Led by Dr Serena…
Breast cancer patients face complex decisions about their treatment. “Knowledge is a key component of decision making, and yet it’s consistently low even among patients who have received treatment. We need better tools to make these decisions more informed,” says Sarah T. Hawley, Ph.D., MPH, professor of internal medicine at Michigan Medicine. Hawley and colleagues from the Cancer…
Patients with cirrhosis should be screened regularly for liver cancer, though few are – in part because busy physicians often don’t order the screening tests, said UT Southwestern oncologists. “The frequency of liver cancer is increasing rapidly in the U.S. and liver cancer-related mortality has nearly doubled over the past decade. The poor prognosis of the disease is largely driven by the…
Tumor imaging technique has potential as anti-cancer weapon, mouse study shows.
For centuries, hands, eyes and ears were the physicians’ most important instruments when it came to detecting and diagnosing disease. Today, one of the traditional techniques, percussion, is being revived, supported by state-of-the-art technology and dressed in a new name: optoacoustics. In one of the most exciting visionary ideas in modern healthcare short laser pulses (optics) are transmitted…
When it comes to the physical scars surgery leaves behind, a new study shows patients and doctors often don’t assess their severity the same way. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found patients and physicians disagreed in their scar evaluations 28 percent of the time, with patients more likely to focus on the depth of the scar while physicians…
Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers developed a single blood test that screens for eight common cancer types and helps identify the location of the cancer. The test, called CancerSEEK, is a unique noninvasive, multianalyte test that simultaneously evaluates levels of eight cancer proteins and the presence of cancer gene mutations from circulating DNA in the blood. The test is aimed at…
A new Michigan State University study is helping to answer a pressing question among scientists of just how close mice are to people when it comes to researching cancer. The findings, now published in PLOS Genetics, reveal how mice can actually mimic human breast cancer tissue and its genes, even more so than previously thought, as well as other cancers including lung, oral and esophagus.…
Researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a new therapeutic target for the treatment of melanoma. For decades, research has associated female sex and a history of previous pregnancy with better outcomes after a melanoma diagnosis. Now, a research team from Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania says it may have…
Hologic, Inc. announced it has obtained a CE Mark in Europe for the Brevera breast biopsy system with CorLumina imaging technology, a groundbreaking real-time breast biopsy and verification system that improves the patient experience and streamlines the biopsy process from start to finish. The first-of-its-kind Brevera system is designed to increase biopsy accuracy with real-time imaging that…
Mount Sinai researchers have discovered that normal immune cells called macrophages, which reside in healthy breast tissue surrounding milk ducts, play a major role in helping early breast cancer cells leave the breast for other parts of the body, potentially creating metastasis before a tumor has even developed, according to a study published in Nature Communications. The macrophages play a role…
A new marker that could be used to diagnose fatal breast cancer up to one year ahead of current methods has been identified in a study led by UCL. The study found that changes detected in a part of DNA which the researches named EFC#93 could suggest early signs of deadly breast cancer. Importantly, these abnormal patterns are present in blood serum before the cancer becomes detectable in the…
Cancer surgeons perform an estimated 1.7 breast biopsies each year, according to the American Association of Preferred Provider Organizations. This makes the procedure a significant proportion of cases referred to anatomic pathologists. This surgery, however, is time-consuming and not always accurate due to shortcomings in existing surgical technology and to human error. Now, a 3D-printed…
Hologic, Inc. announced that it has signed a development and distribution agreement with Clarius Mobile Health for its wireless, handheld ultrasound scanner. The partnership supports Hologic's commitment to early detection and will help ensure that women around the globe have access to the most accurate breast health solutions that are rooted in clinical superiority. "We're very excited to…
A new genetic test to assess breast cancer risk in women who have a family history of the disease could be introduced into clinical practice in the UK within the next few months. Devised at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) and the University of Manchester, researchers believe the test for high-risk groups could also help reduce the number of women needing to have surgery to remove…
In Rennes, France, more than 850 patients have already been treated with a top accelerator equipped with a multileaf collimator, the first of its kind in the country. Brittany’s capital Rennes is leading stereotactic radiotherapy practice as Eugène Marquis Cancer Centre gears up to welcome worldwide technicians to train on the latest CyberKnife system, Accuray’s powerful robotic radiosurgery…
When immune cells invade the tumor, this is usually considered a good sign because the body's own immune system appears to be responding to the cancer. In the case of certain types of breast cancer immune cells, namely so-called tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), these can determine survival rates and predict the usefulness of chemotherapy. This was shown by the largest meta study on TIL…
Contrast-enhanced digital mammography is comparable to breast MRI in evaluating residual breast cancer after neoadjuvant endocrine therapy or chemotherapy, according to the results of a study presented by Mayo Clinic researchers at the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. “Our study aimed to compare contrast-enhanced mammography with breast MRI in evaluating residual breast cancer in…
Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers demonstrated that mice with ovarian cancer that received drugs to reactivate dormant genes along with other drugs that activate the immune system had a greater reduction of tumor burden and significantly longer survival than those that received any of the drugs alone. The study already spurred a clinical trial in ovarian cancer patients. The…
Determining where breast cancer ends and healthy tissue begins is a critical part of breast cancer surgery. Surgeons are used to working closely during surgery with anatomic pathologists who generate pathology reports that specify the surgical or tumor margin, an area of healthy tissue surrounding a tumor that also must be excised to ensure none of the tumor is left behind. This helps prevent the…
Breast screening in the Netherlands seems to have had a marginal effect on breast cancer mortality over the past 24 years, suggests research in The BMJ. Their findings show that screening would be associated with up to 5% reductions in breast cancer mortality in women aged 50 and over, whereas improved treatments would be associated with a 28% reduction. And they point out that overdiagnosis…
DNA sequencing could soon become part of the routine diagnostic workup for patients with chronic kidney disease, suggests a new study from Columbia University Medical Center. The researchers found that DNA sequencing could identify the genetic cause of the disease and influence treatment for many patients with chronic kidney disease.
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…
The use of deep learning (DL) technology could help radiologists increase the quality of breast cancer screening programs, lower costs, and reduce the variability in the cancer detection process. And the role of DL technology in imaging doesn't stop there. In fact, it is likely that DL computers can be trained to read mammograms as well as radiologists and — in the future — maybe even…
Selective internal radiotherapy (SIRT) is often only looked at from a palliative perspective. However, the procedure is now also increasingly moving into the curative field, as Prof. Dr. Jens Ricke, Chair of Radiology at the Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich and Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Radiology at the University Hospital of the LMU reports. “As a locoregionally used…
The ability to demonstrate blood perfusion as well as organ function using contrast agentenhanced ultrasound is quickly finding innovative uses in clinical practice. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has advanced rapidly since its first introduction. Today it is widely used as a primary imaging technique for a number of indications and pathologies. At a symposium organised by Bracco Imaging…
Scientists are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support more effective breast cancer detection. The researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and Harvard Medical School, are using the machine learning system to predict whether breast lesions identified from a biopsy will…
With cancer care costs projected to increase 32% from 2010 to 2020, researchers are working to determine the main drivers of costs for treating breast cancer. Breast cancer accounted for the highest proportion (13%) of the $124.6 billion in Medicare money spent on cancer care in 2010. In a study led by Ami Vyas, PhD, MS, MBA (currently at the University of Rhode Island) and published in the…
Samsung Medison, a global medical equipment company and an affiliate of Samsung Electronics, introduced the RS85, a new premium ultrasonic diagnosis device that provides enhanced image quality, usability, and convenience for medical and radiology professionals. “We are pleased to launch the RS85, a new premium medical device with superior image quality and usability based on Samsung’s…
A practicing radiologist specialising in ultrasound, Pavlos Zoumpoulis MD PhD is also President and CEO of Diagnostic Echotomography, a day clinic based in Kifissia, Greece. The past President of the Hellenic Society of Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology spoke with our European Hospital team about his experiences with the next-generation in shear wave elastography on Mindray’s Resona 7 platform.
FUJIFILM SonoSite was pleased to support a Spanish medical team on a humanitarian mission offering critical medical assistance in Kenya, supplying a point-of-care ultrasound system for them to take on their trip. Angela Cepero, team member and radiologist, described the recent trip: “This summer, a group of healthcare professionals – the majority from the Hospital Clínico Universitario…
Even 20 years after a diagnosis, women with a type of breast cancer fueled by estrogen still face a substantial risk of cancer returning or spreading, according to a new analysis from an international team of investigators published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Standard treatment for estrogen receptor-positive, or ER-positive, breast cancer includes five years of the endocrine-based…
Patients with advanced breast cancer who are treated with a combination of drugs that target specific molecules important for cancer development and also the hormones that are driving it are at increased risk of suffering adverse side effects. In new research presented at the Advanced Breast Cancer Fourth International Consensus Conference (ABC 4), researchers have shown that combining targeted…
Taking part in regular exercise can reduce fatigue and pain, and improve cardiovascular health and quality of life in women being treated for advanced breast cancer, according to new research presented at the Advanced Breast Cancer Fourth International Consensus Conference (ABC 4). Hundreds of thousands of women around the world are being treated for advanced breast cancer, where the tumour has…
‘Ultrasound imaging is an attractive non-ionising medical imaging tool. It’s safe, free of side effects and offers an unmatched real-time imaging capability,’ interventional radiologist Professor Giancarlo Bizzarri underlines during our EH interview.
Patients with advanced breast cancer have a better quality of life for longer if the progression of their disease can be delayed, according to new results presented at the Advanced Breast Cancer Fourth International Consensus Conference (ABC 4) in Lisbon. Professor Nadia Harbeck, head of the Breast Cancer Centre at the University of Munich (Germany), told the meeting that analysis of results from…
Hologic, Inc. announced that it will provide all mammography systems for the Dutch Breast Cancer Screening Program in partnership with Tromp Medical, Hologic’s distributor in the Netherlands. Under the tender, Hologic’s new, state-of-the-art 3Dimensions mammography systems will be installed in mobile and stationary screening facilities across the country, starting in 2018. The multi-year…
The Russian biotechnology company Biocad plans to enter the European market with oncological and autoimmune medicines. So far, there are seven molecules in the European portfolio of Biocad. The biosimilar products could be used in treatment of melanoma, breast, stomach, kidney and lung cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and multiple sclerosis.
A controversy regarding the benefit of early screening programmes for breast cancer continues. Germany, Austria and Switzerland have developed individual strategies. European Hospital asked three experts from these countries to outline each chosen system. Markus Hahn MD, senior consultant at the University Breast Centre in Tübingen, Martin Daniaux, MD, Head of Breast Diagnostics at the Breast…
Breast diagnostics are undergoing considerable change, with new technology facilitating alternative procedures. Genetics and nuclear medicine also enhance diagnostic possibilities. During our EH interview, Professor Rüdiger Schulz-Wendtland described current changes in breast diagnostics. ‘To date, complementary breast diagnostics has comprised clinical, sonographic and mammographic…
‘Clinicians across Europe have made clear their desire for breast cancer screening technology that offers improved accuracy, clarity and workflow, and the 3Dimensions system addresses each of those specific areas,’ Hologic’s Jan Verstreken, Regional President for EMEA and Canada, pointed out during the launch of the new system. This is the latest in the firm’s breast cancer screening,…
Despite rigorous quality assurance of breast cancer screening programs, ‘both, over- and under-diagnosis of breast cancer is a challenge,’ says leading radiologist Christiane K Kuhl, from the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, at the University of Aachen, Germany. ‘Mammography is a good screening test – but has its limitations especially, but not only, in women with…
Until now, familial breast cancer has only partly been linkable to genetic risk markers. In a worldwide joint effort, researchers have now identified further genetic variants that affect the risk for breast cancer. The study, which was conducted with participation of researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Heidelberg University Hospital, has now been published in Nature.…
A new EC-funded project will bring together medical and radiation scientists, physicists and clinicians to enhance the radiation protection of patients and medical professionals. The four-year MEDIRAD project, which kicked off in June 2017, is led by the European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research – EIBIR (AT) and comprises a consortium of 33 partners from 14 European countries.
In a potential major breakthrough in breast cancer research, scientists at the Center for Translational Cancer Research (CTCR) at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute of Christiana Care Health System have developed a revolutionary new blood test to diagnose breast cancer.
There is no “one size fits all approach” when it comes to treating breast cancer. The disease is made up of several subtypes, and ideally each type should be treated with therapies that target the unique underlying biological problems. Fortunately, for the past 25 years, long-term survival and cure rates have significantly improved for women with breast cancer. This is due in large part to…
The Breast International Group (BIG), an international not-for-profit organisation that represents the largest global network of academic research groups dedicated to finding cures for breast cancer, is welcoming three new members in East Asia: the Breast Disease Professional Committee of CMEA (BDPCC), China; the Korean Cancer Study Group (KCSG), South Korea; and the Thai Society of Clinical…
A new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent being tested by researchers at Case Western Reserve University not only pinpoints breast cancers at early stages but differentiates between aggressive and slow-growing types.
Scientists have helped provide a way to better understand how to enable drugs to enter the brain and how cancer cells make it past the blood brain barrier.
Hologic, Inc. announced that the 3Dimensions mammography system, the fastest, highest resolution breast tomosynthesis system ever, is available for purchase in Europe. The new product is the latest addition to Hologic's portfolio of market-leading breast cancer screening, diagnostic and interventional solutions. It offers a variety of groundbreaking features designed to provide higher quality 3D…
A team of scientists and engineers at The University of Texas at Austin has invented a powerful tool that rapidly and accurately identifies cancerous tissue during surgery, delivering results in about 10 seconds—more than 150 times as fast as existing technology.
As cancer grows, it evolves. Individual cells become more aggressive and break away to flow through the body and spread to distant areas. What if there were a way to find those early aggressors? How are they different from the rest of the cells? And more importantly: Is there a way to stop them before they spread?
Certain members of Generation Y, who grew up alongside enormous information technology (IT) advances, now occupy decision-making roles. Meanwhile, generation Z is emerging into the continuing IT revolution; the digital world surrounds us.
In the nineties Deep Blue, the famous chess computer, defeated Kasparow. Only a year ago Google’s Deepmind managed to master the ancient Chinese Go, known for its utmost complexity.
Digital pathology has been the next big thing for about a decade. Yet, today only a few pathology laboratories are fully equipped to digitise their workflow, mainly for legal or financial reasons.
A nanolaser known as the spaser can serve as a super-bright, water-soluble, biocompatible probe capable of finding metastasized cancer cells in the blood stream and then killing these cells, according to a new research study.
Of the nearly 4 million women in the United States who have had either breast cancer or ovarian cancer, at least 1.5 million have a high risk of carrying certain types of genetic mutations that could increase their risk for additional cancers in the future.
In a bid to detect cancers early and in a noninvasive way, scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center report they have developed a test that spots tiny amounts of cancer-specific DNA in blood.
Breast cancer patients who have radiotherapy targeted at the original tumour site experience fewer side effects five years after treatment than those who have whole breast radiotherapy, and their cancer is just as unlikely to return.
Unlike the USA, Italy, Germany or the Netherlands, Spain does not include hyperthermia in its national health catalogue. Worse, many non-medical centres are increasingly offering hyperthermia as an alternative treatment, a situation that infuriates Spanish oncologic radiotherapists.
UK-based researchers believe personalised treatment for breast cancer is within sight after uncovering what they say is the most detailed picture to date of which genetic variations contribute to development of the disease.
The European Society of Breast Imaging (ESOBI) promotes high quality breast imaging across Europe by developing education and training, encouraging research and promoting guidelines and standards. This year’s meeting (23-24 September) was held in collaboration with the French Society La Société d’Imagerie de la Femme (SIFEM) and drew around 600 radiologists. The event included a two-day…
As the demand for imaging studies booms and digital pathology takes off, it is becoming necessary to look at the interactions between radiology and pathology in telemedicine, an expert explained during the Radiology Triangle Madrid meeting early this year.
Lung cancer is the cancer that causes the highest mortality worldwide, claiming an estimated 1.7 million patients annually, with 270,000 of those deaths in Europe.
Dr Massimo Calabrese, head of the Complex Operative Unit of Diagnostic Senology in Genoa’s San Martino Hospital, examines aspects of stereotactic breast biopsy procedures and workflow and the need for improvements in certain areas of breast diagnostics.
Biannual mammography can help to reduce breast cancer mortality by 40% in women aged 50-69, but the benefits for women under 35 years old are questionable, eminent Spanish radiologists highlighted during a session held by SERAM, their national society of radiology, last November, during the International Radiology Day.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly types of malignancies, with a 5-year survival rate after late diagnosis of only about 5%. The majority of patients—about 80%—receive their diagnosis too late for surgery. The disease spreads quickly and resists chemotherapy. In short, there is an urgent need for diagnostic tools to identify this cancer in its earliest stages.
Genomic Health announced that the 15th St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference Expert Panel endorsed the use of genomic tests in early-stage breast cancer and recognised the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test for its prognostic ability as well as its value in guiding treatment decisions on adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with early-stage, endocrine sensitive, invasive breast…
A new test may help to identify breast cancer patients with the lowest risk of death, therefore helping them to avoid unnecessarily aggressive treatment.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the expanded use of a cooling cap, DigniCap Cooling System, to reduce hair loss (alopecia) during chemotherapy. This is the first cooling cap cleared by the agency for use in cancer patients with solid tumors.
A Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study, led by epidemiologist Dr. Parveen Bhatti, found that night shift work is associated with reduced ability to repair DNA lesions. Over time, DNA damage that is not repaired will cause mutations that can lead to cancer.
Led by six globally-recognised experts in cancer care, the organisation known as CHILL, Cancer-related Hair Loss, International Leadership and Linkage, announced today an initiative to collect and track evidence-based patient information and clinical guidance. Data will be used to establish clinical best practices to ensure maximum effectiveness of scalp cooling to minimise chemotherapy-induced…
The University of Southern California (USC) Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center is actively recruiting for a clinical trial that is researching the effectiveness of a breath test for breast cancer diagnostics. The BreathLink device, manufactured by Menssana Research, Inc., captures a two-minute sample of a patient’s breath and provides immediate results on whether there are indications of breast…
Language recognition on the smartphone, spam filters in the e-mail programme, personalised product recommendations by Amazon or Netflix – all share one feature: they are based on an algorithm that recognises patterns in a set of data. This artificial generation of knowledge is called machine learning.
Access, accuracy and efficiency are at the core of Samsung’s healthcare strategy, explained Insuk Song, Vice President of Product Planning, Healthcare and Medical Equipment at Samsung Electronics, during our exclusive European Hospital interview. Samsung, the Korean giant, is now proceding with its artificial intelligence (AI) deployment, notably with the S-Detect software to help ultrasound…
Of the quarter-million women diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the United States, about 180,000 undergo surgery to remove the cancerous tissue while preserving as much healthy breast tissue as possible. However, there’s no accurate method to tell during surgery whether all of the cancerous tissue has been successfully removed.
Breast cancer continues to be one of the biggest killers of women globally. Worldwide it is estimated that around 522,000 women died from breast cancer in 2012. This is despite the fact that if a cancer is detected at less than 1cm in size with no lymph involvement survival rates at 5 years are comparable with someone who has not had cancer.
Inhibition of the enzyme RIOK1 could stop the growth of tumors and the development of metastases
New research further illuminates the surprising relationship between blood sugar and brain tumors and could begin to shed light on how certain cancers develop. While many cancers are more common among those with diabetes, cancerous brain tumors called gliomas are less common among those with elevated blood sugar and diabetes, a study from The Ohio State University has found. The discovery builds…
Visiopharm A/S announces the first result of their multifaceted strategy to apply Deep Learning technologies to its leading image analysis solution for cancer research and diagnostics. Visiopharm considers Deep Learning an important technological breakthrough for tissue pathology that offers the potential to make a real difference in the assessment of tissue structures, which is probably one of…
Value in Health, the official journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR), has announced the publication of new research indicating that testing for variants in 7 cancer-associated genes (versus the usual process of testing in just 2 genes) followed by risk-reduction management could cost-effectively improve life expectancy for women at risk of…
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.
Paxman Coolers Limited announced today that The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the company to market the Paxman Scalp Cooling System, a scalp cooling technology that was developed by a British family to reduce hair loss (alopecia) in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
The one-size-fits-all approach to early stage breast cancer creates a paradox: Millions of dollars are spent on unnecessary surgeries and radiation to treat women with low-risk ‘in situ’ lesions, an estimated 85% of which would never progress to invasive cancers. Meanwhile, the standard conservative treatment is insufficient for many early-stage tumors that have progressed past the in situ…
Scientists at a UK university are using the power of mass spectrometry to research critical processes in human prostate cancer.
About six years ago, liquid biopsy appeared on the diagnostic lab stage. Last December, a seminar offered by Agena Bioscience in Frankfurt, Germany, was set to explore the enormous potential of this new technique for oncology.
A pioneering scalp cooling treatment that prevents alopecia in early stage breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy will be showcased at the 15th St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference, Vienna.
Breast cancer screening is traditionally a mammography – ultrasound business but abbreviated protocols could enable more women to be imaged with MR and receive treatment earlier, a leading researcher will show during the annual Garmisch MR meeting.
The new Sofia 3-D breast ultrasound system solves all the economic and logistic challenges associated with whole-breast ultrasound by using a full-field radial scanning method, the firm reports. The resulting throughput, efficiency, and patient comfort make Sofia an ideal solution for women with dense breasts.
Penn Medicine today launched its first Apple ResearchKit app, focused on patients with sarcoidosis, an inflammatory condition that can affect the lungs, skin, eyes, heart, brain, and other organs. The effort marks Penn’s first time using modules from Apple’s ResearchKit framework, as part of the institution’s focus on mobile health and innovative research strategies.
Angelina Jolie received widespread media attention in 2013 when she told the public that she'd tested positive for BRCA1, a gene associated with an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers, and subsequently had a double mastectomy. Now research shows a spike in genetic tests for breast cancer after actress’ public disclosure, but no corresponding increase in mastectomies.
Pathology does not appear to have much in common with satellites, but the concept that satellites combine spatial resolution and image quality will be the future of disease diagnosis, according to researchers.
University of Adelaide researchers have developed an optical fiber probe that distinguishes breast cancer tissue from normal tissue – potentially allowing surgeons to be much more precise when removing breast cancer.
An international group of researchers report success in mice of a method of using positron emission tomography (PET) scans to track, in real time, an antibody targeting a hormone receptor pathway specifically involved in prostate cancer.
Samsung Electronics showcases the GM85 Digital Radiography (DR) system which received 510(k) FDA clearance November 17 for the US market, at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2016 Annual Meeting at McCormick Place in Chicago.
At the MEDICA 2016 IMMS is presenting its first approaches for the personalized diagnostics of cancer using a prototype device. It was developed in the three-year research project INSPECT which started in June 2016.
Pathcore and Visiopharm today announced a partnership to provide enhanced workflow software solutions for quantitative analysis and management of digital pathology images.
‘Today Vienna is one of the top addresses with regard to breast cancer research,’ Professor Michael Gnant proudly reports – and he certainly knows what he is talking about.
Advanced computer software underpins a service - coupled with a countrywide database, which enables Denmark’s pathologists to optimise the assessment of patients’ specimens.In turn, the digitisation of the system in recent years has led to significant improvements in pathology services, delivering greater efficiency and advances in patient safety.
Patients with locally advanced rectal cancer have been treated with intra-operative radiotherapy (IORT) for over twenty years. Partly due to this type of radiation, survival rates in a group of patients considered to have inoperable cancer changed dramatically from five to 70 percent.
Although breast elastography entered clinical practice many years ago, a large number of breast radiologists are still unaware of its benefits and have not become familiar with its principles.
One of the earliest widespread applications of precision medicine in cancer care is helping patients and physicians decide whether chemotherapy is needed, a new study finds.
Radiologists and radiographers all over the world will once again celebrate the International Day of Radiology (IDoR) on November 8, which this year takes breast imaging as its main theme. The IDoR is an initiative of the European Society of Radiology (ESR), the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
Researchers funded in part by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) have recently shown that magnetic bacteria are a promising vehicle for more efficiently delivering tumor-fighting drugs.
Italian-led research has highlighted the value of utilising additional screening technologies to help diagnose breast cancer in some women. Interim analysis from the Adjunct Screening with Tomosynthesis or Ultrasound in Women with Mammography-Negative Dense Breasts (ASTOUND) study has delivered evidence of the potential benefit of adding either ultrasound or tomosynthesis to standard mammograms…
Changes in the genetic make-up of tissue samples can be detected quickly and easily using a new method based on nanotechnology. This report researchers from the Swiss Nanoscience Institute, the University of Basel and the University Hospital Basel in first clinical tests with genetic mutations in patients with malignant melanoma.
A small device implanted under the skin can improve breast cancer survival by catching cancer cells, slowing the development of metastatic tumors in other organs and allowing time to intervene with surgery or other therapies. These findings suggest a path for identifying metastatic cancer early and intervening to improve outcomes.
To treat or not to treat? That is the question researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) hope to answer with a new advance that could help doctors and their cancer patients decide if a particular therapy would be worth pursuing.
Bruker announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire the preclinical imaging business of Oncovision, a leading provider of innovative medical imaging devices used for the diagnosis of cancer. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the mechanism by which many cancers develop resistance to chemotherapy drugs, resulting in minimal cell death and the expansion of drug-resistant tumors. To address the problem of resistance, researchers at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have developed nanoparticles that…
Fernando López Zárraga is a member of the Executive Board of the Spanish Society of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (SERVEI). In an interview with European Hospital he explains issues facing interventional radiology in Spain and why this is becoming an increasingly attractive field.
From the beginning of MRI scientists dreamed of not only translating data sets into images, but also classifying tissue directly. Five years ago this would still have been inconceivable.
Two new studies have focused on the impact of weekend care and discharge on heart patients within the NHS in England. In one, patients suffering atrial fibrillation (AF) who were admitted to a National Health Service (NHS) hospital over the weekend faced a higher risk of dying within five years than patients admitted during normal hours.
With a unique approach that draws on 3-D printing technologies, a team of University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers is developing new tools for understanding how ovarian cancer develops in women.
Many breast tumors grow in response to female hormones, especially estrogen. Drugs that reduce estrogen levels in the body often are effective in reducing tumor size and preventing recurrence of the cancer. But some tumors become resistant to these therapies and continue to grow and spread.
When two Spanish oncologists launched the first independent Spanish oncology forum this May in Madrid, European Hospital’s correspondent spoke with Dr Javier Cortés, co-organiser of the event, to find out more about its expected impact in their field.
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…
Wound infections after surgery are not uncommon and can be fatal. In Germany, postoperative wound infections are now the most common type of hospital acquired infection (HAI), with a proportion of 24%.
Many drug treatments do not work due to their poor ability to reach their intended targets inside patients’ cells. To address this, researchers at Cardiff University’s Schools of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Biosciences have designed a highly efficient method to improve the delivery of therapeutic molecules into diseased cells such as those in stomach cancer, breast cancer and…
A gene called ‘Wars2’ has been pinpointed as a potential new target in treating heart disease. These latest findings are the first to show that Wars2 has a star role in driving the growth of blood vessels in the heart.
When a woman is diagnosed with the earliest stage of breast cancer, how aggressive should her treatment be? Will the non-invasive cancer become invasive? Or is it a slow-growing variety that will likely never be harmful? Researchers at the University of Michigan developed a new technology that can identify aggressive forms of ductal carcinoma in situ, or stage 0 breast cancer, from non-aggressive…
Preliminary tests have demonstrated that a new device may enable existing breast cancer imagers to provide up to six times better contrast of tumors in the breast, while maintaining the same or better image quality and halving the radiation dose to patients. The advance is made possible by a new device developed for 3D imaging of the breast by researchers at the Department of Energy's Thomas…
Pathologists have been largely diagnosing disease the same way for the past 100 years, by manually reviewing images under a microscope. But new work suggests that computers can help doctors improve accuracy and significantly change the way cancer and other diseases are diagnosed. A research team from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Harvard Medical School (HMS) recently developed…
Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology research center in Singapore have developed a new microfluidic device that tests the effects of electric fields on cancer cells. They observed that a range of low-intensity, middle-frequency electric fields effectively stopped breast and lung cancer cells from growing and spreading, while having no adverse effect on neighboring healthy cells.
Prostate cancer patients may soon have a new option to treat their disease: laser heat. UCLA researchers have found that focal laser ablation – the precise application of heat via laser to a tumor – is both feasible and safe in men with intermediate risk prostate cancer.
‘The combination of nuclear medicine and modern imaging procedures such as CT and MRI is becoming increasingly important in the diagnosis, treatment planning and aftercare of cancerous diseases,’ explains Professor Katrine Åhlström Riklund, who presides over the newly established European Society for Hybrid Medical Imaging, ESHI.
Breast tomosynthesis imaging, Hologic calls it 3-D mammography, is proving to be the best modality to image breast cancer. ‘The Hologic tomosynthesis system has demonstrated superior clinical performance to conventional 2-D mammography in a number of metrics, in particular showing improved detection of invasive cancers and reductions in recall rate,’ the manufacturer reports, adding: ‘Now…
Cooperation on Artificial Intelligence complements its initiatives on Enterprise Imaging, Big Data and Clinical Analytics, to provide an e-Health platform for Integrated Care and Population Health Management.
An international team led by researchers at the Austrian Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) in Vienna and the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore discovered that genetically determined breast cancer can be largely prevented by blocking a bone gene. An already approved drug could be quickly available and would then be the first breast cancer prevention drug.
Scientists from the University of Zurich have been able to understand for the first time why many cancer cells adapt relatively quickly to the treatment with therapeutic antibodies in invasive forms of breast cancer. Instead of dying off, they are merely rendered inactive. The researchers have now developed an active substance that kills the cancer cells very effectively without harming healthy…
A team from the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste has obtained very promising results by applying gene therapy to glioblastoma. Tests in vitro and in vivo on mice provided very clear-cut results, and modelling demonstrates that the treatment targets at least six different points of tumour metabolism. Gene therapy, a technique that selectively attacks a tumour, might…
Professor Klaus Kayser, former Head of the Institute of Pathology at Heidelberg University Hospital’s Thorax Clinic, may be retired but he continues to be a leading figure in his discipline, a visionary, famous for this critical and ‘out of the box’ thinking. During the run-up to the European Congress on Digital Pathology (ECDP), we asked the expert about telemedicine and standards and,…
In a study of 436 breast cancer cases with 28 years of survival data histo-pathologists from Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden shows that protein tissue-based biomarker data are at least as good as gene expression assays.
Strictly speaking, digital pathology has not yet resulted in any groundbreaking changes for clinical diagnostics. The conventional light microscope introduced to pathology around 100 years ago continues to be the most important tool for pathologists.
Histopathologists play key roles in diagnosing disease entities and determining biomarkers related to the prognosis and response to specific therapy of malignant tumours. Report: Bela Molnar
Whilst digital pathology has the potential to deliver more precise diagnostics, there remain a number of barriers to its widespread implementation.
Tomosynthesis is a breast cancer screening and diagnostic modality that acquires images of a breast at multiple angles during a short scan. The individual images are then reconstructed into a series of thin, high-resolution slices typically one mm thick.
Since the introduction of targeted therapies in oncology the task of the pathologist has expanded beyond histological diagnostics: today, the pathologist analyses tumour tissue samples to establish a molecular profile with tumour cell characteristics – which in turn become the targets of medication.
A novel class of compounds developed by a University of Saskatchewan (U of S)-led research team could yield more effective and less toxic chemotherapy drugs to treat cancer. Team leader Jonathan Dimmock, a medicinal chemistry researcher in the U of S College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, explained their compounds work by interacting with thiols, naturally occurring chemicals that perform several…
A team of researchers at the MedUni Vienna has, in collaboration with the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, developed two new PET tracers that allow the activity of drug transporters at the blood-brain barrier to be measured. The studywas able to demonstrate that people with a genetic polymorphism in a transporter gene have lower transporter activity at the blood-brain barrier, which can lead…
The ongoing debate about breast cancer diagnostics has left many women confused — particularly over what age they should get mammograms and who needs treatment. An issue with current methods is that they often identify lumps but cannot conclusively pinpoint which ones are cancerous. To help resolve this uncertainty, researchers have developed a pill that could improve imaging techniques so that…
A team of investigators from Houston Methodist Research Institute may have transformed the treatment of metastatic triple negative breast cancer by creating the first drug to successfully eliminate lung metastases in mice.
Johns Hopkins scientists report they have developed an antibody against a specific cellular gateway that suppresses lung tumor cell growth and breast cancer metastasis in transplanted tumor experiments in mice, according to a new study published in the February issue of Nature Communications.
The prostate remains the only organ where random biopsies are performed to find cancer, notes Jean-Michel Correas MD PhD, from the Necker University Hospital in Paris. If we proposed this approach to a woman to search for breast cancer, it would be outrageous, he said.
‘In imaging there is a trend towards quantification,’ said Professor Siegfried Trattnig, Medical Director of the High-Field MR Centre (HFMRC) at the Medical University Vienna, Austria. Whilst before, radiologists’ findings were subjective, qualitative results, based on signal intensity and grey scale, he pointed out. ‘Today imaging can draw on quantifiable and comparable parameters with…
The trend in radiology is towards an increasing split into subspecialties such as interventional radiology, paediatric radiology or neuroradiology, which, with the growing complexity of this field, are becoming more independent of each other.
Results from recent trials are promising: an almost 40% increased breast cancer detection rate from digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) screening compared to conventional mammography.
MRI, CT, pathology: doctors have to consider medical image data – increasing in both amount and complexity – to perform diagnoses and monitor therapy. The Fraunhofer Institute for Medical Image Computing MEVIS in Bremen is creating a new approach to provide effective assistance.
Eckert & Ziegler AG, a specialist for isotope-based applications in medicine, science and industry, is expanding its cooperation program with promising drug developers in the field of nuclear medicine and will support Curasight, a spin-off based on research by the group of Professor Andreas Kjaer at the National University Hospital (Rigshospitalet) and University of Copenhagen, in obtaining…
A new EU-funded project HYPMED is developing a ground-breaking imaging method for more accurate detection of breast cancer and a better, more personalised, understanding of its response to therapy.
Accuray Incorporated announced today that the first centers in Qatar, Latvia, and Bulgaria are now equipped with its radiation therapy technology, demonstrating continued momentum in adoption of its devices in Europe, India, the Middle East and Africa (EIMEA). The CyberKnife® and TomoTherapy® Systems are now used in more than 40 countries to treat patients across the full spectrum of radiation…
In a comprehensive modeling study, researchers from UC Davis and other institutions have found that breast cancer screening with digital mammography poses only a small risk of radiation-induced breast cancer for most women. However, the research showed increased risk for women with large breasts or breast implants, who must often receive extra screening views, increasing their radiation exposure.
Checkpoint inhibitors can achieve a lasting treatment response in around 20% of some kinds of advanced cancer cases. ‘Immunotherapies are given the highest possible rating on the Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), which assesses the actual clinical benefit of tumour treatments,’ emphasises Professor Christoph Zielinski MD, Head of the…
Doctors at the Duke University School of Medicine have tested a new injectable agent that causes cancer cells in a tumor to fluoresce, potentially increasing a surgeon’s ability to locate and remove all of a cancerous tumor on the first attempt. The imaging technology was developed through collaboration with scientists at Duke, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Lumicell Inc.
You’ve probably never heard of “sphingolipids” before. But these curiously named organic compounds play a vital role in one of humanity’s most well-known diseases: cancer.
Harms of screening are certain, but benefits in overall mortality are not … “We must be honest about this uncertainty,” experts say. Cancer screening has never been shown to “save lives” as advocates claim, argue experts in The BMJ.
Breast cancer screening has helped to detect cancer in its early stages, but it is unclear how important this contribution is to mortality reduction because treatment has greatly improved. Overdiagnosis and overtreatment remain associated risks that need to be fully assessed for screening to be of real benefit. Leading experts in this field passionately discussed these controversies in a…
Antibodies combat viruses and bacteria. They also attach themselves to cancer cells – in a typical, characteristic way. Fraunhofer scientists are using this property to detect cancer cells in tissue samples. Such rapid tests can already be applied by surgeons during operations – within a few minutes and without expensive equipment.
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…
Scientists have shown for the first time that an enzyme crucial to keeping our immune system healthy “surfs” along the strands of DNA inside our cells. The researchers used extremely powerful microscopy to watch how the enzyme AID (activation-induced deoxycytidine deaminase) moves around and interacts with other molecules.
Building on an innovative ultrasound technology that continues to yield break-through capabilities, SuperSonic Imagine is introducing AngioPLUS, a third diagnostic functionality for its Aixplorer platform that promises to be instrumental in the diagnosis of cancerous tissues as well as musculoskeletal pathologies.
Additional breast cancers found with MRI are sometimes larger and potentially more aggressive than those found on mammography, according to a study published online in the journal Radiology.
Around 25 treatments for seriously ill patients with specific cancers listed on England’s National Health Service’s Cancer Drug Fund are to be removed. This large change is likely to affect patients with cancers of the breast, bowel, prostate, blood, upper gastrointestine, brain and central nervous system, as well as gynaecological cases. Report: Mark Nicholls
The mammography detection rate of an early-stage but potentially invasive type of breast cancer rises with age, according to a large new study from Germany published online in the journal Radiology.
Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have found that the breast cancer drug tamoxifen gives white blood cells a boost, better enabling them to respond to, ensnare and kill bacteria in laboratory experiments. Tamoxifen treatment in mice also enhances clearance of the antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogen…
A photograph may reveal how something looks, but direct observation can divulge how the objects behave. The difference can mean life or death, especially when it comes to fighting human disease. To help researchers examine exactly how human diseases work at the molecular level, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientist Deborah Kelly has developed a new set of tools to peer into the…
In a discovery that could lead to more targeted and effective treatments for certain lung and prostate cancers, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified two new cancer-causing gene mutations – mutations that may be particularly susceptible to cancer-fighting drugs already approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration. One of the gene mutations also may…
University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered a new strategy for attacking cancer cells that could fundamentally alter the way doctors treat and prevent the deadly disease. By more selectively targeting cancer cells, this method offers a strategy to reduce the length of and physical toll associated with current treatments.
A magnetic resonance (MR) breast imaging technique that uses no ionizing radiation or contrast agent could reduce unnecessary biopsies by providing additional information about suspicious findings on X-ray screening mammography, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.
People often talk about how important it is to stay in shape, something humans usually can accomplish with exercise and a healthy diet, and other habits. But chances are, few of us ever think about the shape of our individual cells.
For some, TOR may bring to mind a Celtic mountain or perhaps an Internet privacy group. In the world of molecular biology it’s a cellular pathway that’s found in everything from yeast to mammals. mTOR (as it’s called in mammals) plays a central role in instructing the cell to grow and divide in response to nutrients. When it’s turned down, the cell shifts into a second, tidying mode,…
Scientists have designed nanoparticles that release drugs in the presence of a class of proteins that enable cancers to metastasize. That is, they have engineered a drug delivery system so that the very enzymes that make cancers dangerous could instead guide their destruction.
One in six men will develop prostate cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death amongst men in both the US and the EU. Definite diagnosis at an early stage is vital for survival and early treatment minimizes the risk of adverse effects, such as incontinence, erectile dysfunction, or impotence. While there is no preventive screening there is a ray of hope. Prof. Jelle Barentsz,…
An in-depth review of randomised trials on screening for breast, colorectal, cervical, prostate and lung cancers, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, shows that the benefits of mammographic screening are likely to have been overestimated.
The vast amounts of data accumulating in breast diagnostics require new methods to extract clinical information in a practical way. When dealing with large amounts of data that is too big or too complex to be analysed with traditional data processing applications, the talk today is of ‘Big Data’. The data volume accumulating in breast diagnostics has become increasingly complex over recent…
What you see is what you get - unfortunately, this doesn’t always apply in cancer imaging. Why is it that something which looks conspicuous on an image later turns out not to be a tumour? Why, on the other hand, are things overlooked that later turn out to be cancer? Pathological findings are extremely important to help improve diagnostic precision in radiology. Both disciplines therefore…
The view across the Atlantic – it fills Professor Fabian Kiessling, Chair of Experimental Molecular Imaging at the RWTH Aachen (Rhine-Westphalia Institute of Technology Aachen), with optimism. The USA offers more opportunities for molecular imaging. Only recently, new tracers for Alzheimer’s were accepted as reimbursable in some centres, whilst the development of new diagnostics in Europe…
American Society of Human Genetics issues recommendations on age-appropriate genetic testing in children and adolescents.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, responsible for some 1.59 million deaths a year. That figure is due, in part, to the fact that the cancer often returns after what, at first, seems to be successful treatment. And the recurring cancer is often resistant to the chemotherapy and other drugs that originally drove it into remission. According to new research by the Weizmann…
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center have discovered a molecular mechanism that connects breast tissue stiffness to tumor metastasis and poor prognosis. The study may inspire new approaches to predicting patient outcomes and halting tumor metastasis.
Agendia co-founder and Chief Research Officer, Laura van't Veer, Ph.D., has won the European Inventor Award in the SME category. The European Inventor Award is a prestigious innovation award presented by the European Patent Office, with only 15 inventors nominated in a total of five categories worldwide.
“I am very concerned about the impact that Angelina Jolie has on the media,” Walter Rocca, professor of epidemiology and neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, stated. He wasn’t hinting to Jolie’s acting choices or waifish silhouette, but to the confusion surrounding her decision to remove her ovaries to prevent ovarian cancer. By Mélisande Rouger
Mutations in ARID1a, which are common in many cancer types, disrupt DNA damage repair in cancer cells, allowing the cancer to progress. This gene may also be an Achilles' heel when treating certain tumors, according to a team of researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Can a routine hospital stay upset the balance of microbes in our bodies so much that it sets some older people up for a life-threatening health crisis called sepsis? A new University of Michigan and VA study suggests this may be the case.
Each year, approximately 1.6 million women in the USA have breast biopsies to diagnose or rule out cancer. Pathological diagnosis is considered the gold standard – how accurate are these diagnoses? Report: Cynthia E. Keen
The genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 play a significant role in hereditary breast and ovarian cancers. Recent media attention has focused on American actress Angelina Jolie's decision to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes surgically removed after genetic testing for such cancers.
PET scanners are not the only way to image radiotracers. Recent work developed around a phenomenon called Cerenkov luminescence aims to bring a new modality out of preclinical development and into clinical practice.
Australian researchers have found that so-called 'triple-negative breast cancers' are two distinct diseases that likely originate from different cell types. This helps explain why survival prospects for women with the diagnosis tend to be either very good or very bad.
Cells have two different programs to safeguard them from getting out of control and developing cancer. One of them is senescence (biological aging). It puts cancer cells into a permanent sleep so they no longer divide and grow in an uncontrolled way. Now the research group led by Professor Walter Birchmeier (Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, MDC, Berlin-Buch) has discovered that an…
No alcohol, but exercise and a healthy diet – that’s what women can do to help prevent breast cancer recommends Prof. Thomas Helbich (Director of Molecular and Gender Imaging at the Medical University of Vienna) who hosted the European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research (EIBIR) session ‘The complexity of personalized breast care’ at ECR 2015. Report: Chrissanthi Nikolakudi
MRI is increasingly relevant to cancer management, especially to detect breast carcinoma. Professor Christiane K Kuhl from the department of diagnostic and interventional radiology at the University of Aachen, Germany, strongly advocated in favour of MRI in breast cancer screening during a dedicated Satellite Symposium organised by Bracco at ECR 2015. Report: Mélisande Rouger
SOFIA is the new automated breast tomography system developed by iVu Imaging and presented at ECR 2015 by Hitachi. The system, beyond its charming name, offers some very charming features indeed which may make SOFIA the most comfortable scanner currently available on the market.
Women over the age of 50 are not only at higher risk of developing breast cancer but also osteoporosis. Would it not be practical to use the same method to detect both diseases early on? Definitely, decided Sectra, the Swedish company specialising in PACS and mammography systems.
In breast cancer care each patient receives personalised, highly effective diagnosis and treatment procedures. In breast diagnostics this mainly revolves around new MRI scanning procedures that allow the quantification of biological and physiological processes on a cellular and molecular level.
The Koning Breast CT (KBCT) system, which has been granted FDA approval, provides 3D breast of the entire breast from any orientation for diagnoses.
It is tough enough to be a clinician reading dozens of mammograms every day to detect early signs of breast cancer. Now those same radiologists must become statisticians in order to decrypt dozens of studies, challenging whether it is worth reading mammograms in the first place. Report: John Brosky
People have highly variable views on how much overdetection is acceptable in cancer screening, finds a UK survey. The authors say invitations for screening "should include clear information on the likelihood and consequences of overdetection to allow people to make an informed choice."
A magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) technique that monitors biochemical changes in tissue could improve the management of women at risk of breast cancer.
A surgical algorithm developed and implemented by ovarian cancer specialists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center dramatically increases the frequency of complete removal of all visible tumor - a milestone strongly tied to improved survival.
At the recent North American IHE Connectathon in Cleveland, Sectra (STO: SECT B) successfully completed testing of the IHE profiles MAMMO and DBT (Digital Breast Tomosynthesis). The testing was done using Sectra PACS which implements the Image Display and Image Manager actors of these profiles.
Venture capitalists are betting $100 million that an entrepreneur can develop an inexpensive and portable imaging device that can be used by office-based physicians.
Carestream will show enhancements to its digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) module including a slabbing tool, improved workflow capabilities and the display of DICOM-compliant 2D synthetic views (which are generated from the 3D dataset) at the 2015 European Conference of Radiology. The latest DBT module is currently available.
Women with metastatic breast cancer know they have a slim chance of long-term survival. The question is whether personalised therapy could extend their lives. Report: Cynthia E Keen
The Americas' mammography systems market value will increase from approximately $390 million in 2013 to $1.1 billion by 2020, driven primarily by the uptake of 3D systems in the US and healthy demand for 2D systems in Canada, Mexico and Brazil.
Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg and from the Medical Faculty Mannheim of Heidelberg University treated mice with a combination of a low-dose metronomic chemotherapy and an antibody against Ang-2, a regulatory protein of the blood vessel lining cells. The treated animals had significantly less metastases.
A panel of experts has recommended that existing programmes be phased out and that systematic screening programmes be replaced with systematic screening information that would give women the opportunity to make individual choices. Report: Mark Nicholls
'We desperately need a ‘no treatment’ trial for DCIS', says Clive Wells, Chairman of the European Working Group on Breast Cancer Pathology, and London Regional Co-ordinator for the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) National Breast Cancer Screening Programme. Interview: Frank Swain
Patients are no longer content to be passive recipients of medical care, and are instead taking a more active role in their treatment, says Kathy Oliver, Chair co-director of the International Brain Tumour Alliance (IBTA). Report: Frank Swain
It sounds amazingly simple: a structured medical Seldinger guidewire is inserted via a peripheral venous catheter to ‘fish’ for circulating tumour cells (CTC) in the blood of cancer patients. Report: Bettina Döbereiner
Among updates on breast cancer diagnostics and treatments aired at the 33rd German Society for Senology meeting last year was SpheroTest, an evidence-based tool that helps select the most effective drug for each individual cancer patient. Report: Anja Behringer
The number of cancer patients in Germany continues to rise steadily. An increase in the number of newly diagnosed cases of 14% is expected by 2020 compared to 2008. Therefore early detection is increasingly the focus of attention.
Among new medical imaging innovations is a phase-contrast x-ray technique to bring greater precision to breast cancer assessment and improve biopsy diagnostics. EH asked research pioneer Professor Marco Stampanoni, a key figure in the development of this technique, to explain how it works. Report: Sascha Keutel
A new study has suggested that mammography screening of healthy women can help to significantly reduce deaths from breast cancer. Much will now depend on new treatments and more systematic management of patients. Report: Mark Nicholls
Sepsis kills around a hundred and thirty patients daily In Germany alone. This systemic disease is mostly caused by bacterial pathogens, and less frequently by fungal organisms or parasites. The delayed diagnoses result in high mortality. Professor Dr Frank M Brunkhorst of the Centre of Sepsis Control and Care (CSCC), at Jena University Hospital, Germany, is seeking strategies to combat such…
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have approved CT lung cancer screening for high-risk individuals. This decision clears the implementation path of screening for the general public. Solutions supporting imaging centers in this complex process are showcased at RSNA 2014.
Sepsis kills around 130 patients daily In Germany alone. This systemic disease is mostly caused by bacterial pathogens, and less frequently by fungal organisms or parasites. Professor Dr Frank M Brunkhorst of the Centre of Sepsis Control and Care (CSCC), at Jena University Hospital, Germany, is seeking strategies to combat such scary figures.
Having convinced medical labs across Denmark that its suite of image analysis software can provide a solution to the crushing burden of in vitro diagnostics (IVD), VisioPharm is offering it to pathologists worldwide
Coping with the side effects of chemotherapy treatment is challenging for people with cancer. When fatigued or nauseous, it is not easy to assess if these conditions are acceptable treatment side effects or require medical assistance.
Expert estimates suggest that women eating more poultry, fish, nuts and legumes and less red meat might have lower risk.
Burnout. The word jars – and it is particularly unsettling when associated with medical professionals. Burnout is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and feelings of low personal accomplishment.
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.
Mammography scans with lower dose and higher contrast – that’s the declared goal of Dr Nik Hauser, Medical Director of the Women‘s Clinic and Director of the Interdisciplinary Breast Centre at Kantonsspital Baden, Switzerland, and Professor Marco Stampanoni of Paul Scherrer Institute in Villigen, Switzerland.
US-American researchers have shown that positron emission tomography (PET), a tried procedure, is a helpful modality to detect breast cancer.
Created by the Dutch industrialist family Hilekes, in 1993 Medicor expanded beyond the Benelux countries to enter the German-speaking world as Medicor Germany GmbH, selling contrast media injectors for CT, MRI and angiography.
There is a wealth of information in every radiology exam, but even a phalanx of super-computers at the National Security Agency (NSA) could not extract it.
Digital breast tomosynthesis offers a number of benefits over other modalities but challenges remain in its optimum clinical application.
‘The disease “cancer” is increasingly classified into sub-groups. Today, we are already dealing with a number of orphan diseases,’ says Professor Richard Greil MD, head of LIMCR at University Hospital Salzburg.
Curie-Cancer, the body which leads the Institut Curie's industry partner research activity, and Servier, today announce that they have renewed their partnership with the aim of identifying therapeutic targets for treating ‘triple negative’ breast cancers. The partnership will continue for a further three years.
The “State of Oncology 2013” report by the International Prevention Research Institute [IPRI] warns that the global number of new cancer cases will have doubled between 2008 and 2030.
Why is early detection of breast cancer so important? Professor Dr Walter Heindel, Director of the Institute of Clinical Radiology at University Hospital Münster, Germany, offers an unequivocal answer.
Breast cancer hurt her but after a long treatment, she is now 10 years past the day she heard "You have cancer."
Within many exhibitors’ booths at the RSNA, mobile computing devices are in use, a sales tool augmenting the vendor’s display. They are like bunnies running rampant. They are proliferating, and their intelligent use is aiding complex sales presentations.
It may well be the first computer-aided detection (CAD) software that went to school with radiologists to study breast cancer.
RSNA opens a window for one week where companies can showcase the latest technologies ahead of regulatory approval. Fujifilm seized this opportunity to introduce the leading edge in tomosynthesis, the Amulet Innovality that it has launched in Europe, and that once given the green light by the FDA will come to America under the name Aspire Cristalle.
In May, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finally took the training wheels off tomosynthesis by approving the use of Hologic's new C-View 2D imaging in place of conventional 2D mammograms previously required as part of a breast tomosynthesis screening exam.
It looks like a drug, it is injected in patients like a drug, but its acts like a medical device. Welcome to the new world of nanomedicine.
In the country’s first scientific study to correlate the demographic changes and frequency of tumorous diseases, demographic changes have led scientists to forecast a significant increase in the number of cancerous diseases in coming years.
In France, every year 15,000 women undergo complete or partial mastectomy due to breast cancer. Only about a third of them, i.e. around 5,000 patients, use the possibilities reconstructive surgery offers and 70 percent of those women opt for an implant although it is associated with a risk of infection because the body might react negatively to the foreign object.
Toshiba ultrasound equipment is helping provide a better oncological and cosmetic outcome for women recovering from breast cancer treatment and surgery. Daniela Zimmermann discussed intraoperative ultrasound-guided breast surgery with surgeon Dr Monique Petrousjka van den Tol, from the Department of Surgical Oncology, VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Scientists at Imperial College in London, United Kingdom, have developed an ‘intelligent knife’ that instantly informs surgeons whether the tissue they are operating on is cancerous.
Crowds of hospital delegates flocking in to Xiamen on the first day of CMEF had already suggested that the event will be welcoming more than the roughly 60,000 delegates expected to participate
At Bracco Suisse SA in Geneva all efforts are dedicated to contrast media for ultrasound scans. During their visit to the firm’s research centre and manufacturing site, Daniela Zimmermann and Ralf Mateblowski met with François Tranquart MD PhD, general manager of the Bracco Suisse research centre, to hear why SonoVue is now Europe’s most popular ultrasound contrast agent, with research…
There is a global shortage of doctors that is getting worse every year. With the demographic shift in many countries from a predominantly young to an increasing aging population, a steep increase in chronic disease is occurring.
Which technological advancements can we expect to see in the field of medical technology? How well can diagnosis and therapy be customized for each patient?
About 20 years ago the first tumour boards were set up in Germany. Initiated and led by surgeons, they not only invited oncologists, radiotherapists and radiologists to conferences but also, increasingly often, pathologists.
Like any other cancer – breast cancer is a highly individual disease, shaped by many factors such as age, health status or genetics. Due to the complex web of molecular pathological processes and resistance mechanisms it is very difficult to select the most effective therapy for each patient.
A 2012 study analysing the care of cancer patients in the USA in 138 Veterans’ Administration hospitals (pub: Journal of the National Cancer Institute) questions the effectiveness of tumour board review. The study measured effectiveness by comparing the presence of tumour review boards with stage-specific quality of care and patient outcomes.
Milan, Italy – The 20th European Congress of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine certainly lived up to its claim as the EU’s largest event of its kind – 2,407 visitors and 4,786 delegates from 101 countries plus 82 exhibitors fanned out or arranged themselves over the event’s 3,500 square metres, Hanna Politis reports
Apart from tumour immunologists themselves, for a long time oncologists have underestimated the role of the immune system in cancer treatment. Nonetheless, in recent years increasing attention has been given to this aspect of cancer.
Dr Martínez Miravete didn’t set out to change breast imaging in Spain when she first adopted breast tomosynthesis.
Research using an analytical health economics model has suggested the current system of screening within the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is only moderately likely to be cost effective.
Ultrasound may be used during breast conservation surgery, to locate tumour lesions or to place localising wires; it can also guide a lumpectomy and perform a specimen exam to ensure a lesion has been excised and to evaluate surgical margins
With the help of a commercially available CAD (computer-assisted diagnosis) programme, MRI can provide prognostic data on the development of distant metastases in the further course of breast cancer.
Over the decades of breast imaging numerous studies have shown that radiation free and inexpensive ultrasound can detect some subtle cancers not visible on a mammography exam.
The charity Cancer Research UK reports that the number of breast cancer diagnoses in under 50-year-old women each year in the UK has exceeded 10,000 for the first time.
Self-guided study of more than 6,000 ultrasound exams are at your fingertips thanks to an eight-year voluntary effort by a Dutch radiologist and technical support provided by Hitachi-Aloka.
Israel - Researchers are using breath-test technology to detect volatile organic compounds to tell whether a patient has stomach cancer.
Dr. Paula Martínez Miravete didn’t set out to change breast imaging in Spain when she first adopted breast tomosynthesis.
‘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).
Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg have been the first to prove that genetic and environmental risk factors for breast cancer do not act independently of each other.
The international research project ‘The Definition of new types of tumours containing potential mutations sensitivity to drugs’ has begun in Petrov Research Institute of Oncology in St Petersburg, the oldest Russian oncology institute.
ECR’s Josef Lissner Honorary Lecture commemorates the co-founder of the European Congress of Radiology who passed away in 2006.
You won't find a single new machine among the novel technology shaping radiology. Instead software, not hardware, is the key that is opening new frontiers.
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.
Experts across Europe believe the combination is beginning to demonstrate its broad potential as a hybrid imaging tool
A large survey for leading German health insurers has resulted in a hospital evaluation portal thatenables patients to compare and choose a doctor and treatment or care centre very quickly
‘The disease “cancer” is increasingly classified into sub-groups. Today, we are already dealing with a number of orphan diseases,’ says Professor Richard Greil MD, head of LIMCR at University Hospital Salzburg.
With 350,000 mammography screenings annually, Unilabs Sweden finds itself on the leading edge for research in mammography and pioneering patient education programmes. John Brosky reports
A prototype for proton and ion therapy has been used clinically in Heidelberg since 2009. Built jointly by Siemens and GSI (Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research) in Darmstadt.
It lasted forty years – but now it’s over – that Golden Age of radiology and medical imaging is surrendering under technology stagnation and imaging issues such as the growing rejection of unnecessary public use. The field is now subject to radical change, declared Professor Stephen R Baker MD M.Phil, from the UMDNJ New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey USA, speaking at this…
BRAF is a protein that plays an important part in the transmission of growth signals. In a mutated state it can lead to uncontrolled cell growth. Around every second malignant melanoma – the deadliest and most aggressive form of skin cancer – has a certain mutation of the BRAF gene.
Times may be tough, but GE Healthcare takes a longer term view, believing innovative technologies can transform healthcare delivery and help improve patient care.
A first in medical imaging is still unknown for Kit Vaughan, who is ready to simultaneously scan with X-rays and ultrasound for breast screening. Stay tuned for the results at RSNA 2013, says EH Correspondent John Brosky
Philips is showcasing the company’s mission of “Transforming Care Together” by featuring several of its latest solutions developed with customer insights in mind, demonstrating the company’s commitment to keeping pace with the changing needs of radiologists at RSNA.
Petabytes of data on each patient will become the foundation of future diagnostics and therapy. Genetics, imaging and environmental information – toxins, lifestyle – will deliver a precise picture of the individual, allowing for diagnostic precision and targeted treatments.
Procedures, financing and cultural philosophies can shape the difference, Michael Reiter, Mark Nicholls, Eduardo de la Sota, Jane MacDougall report
Petabytes of data on each patient will become the foundation of future diagnostics and therapy.
Using advanced microscopes equipped with tissue-penetrating laser light, cancer imaging experts at Johns Hopkins have developed a promising, new way to accurately analyze the distinctive patterns of ultra-thin collagen fibers in breast tumor tissue samples and to help tell if the cancer has spread.
Personalised cancer medicine is much discussed, with high expectations for biomolecular decoding of various tumours and the global pharma industry developing targeted drugs to attack tumours at a biomolecular level.
Study suggests a new method to measure breast density can help determine cancer risk
Photoacoustics offers an additional contrast mechanism that makes the technology far more sensitive for the presence of blood.
The biggest cause of death for most adult women in industrialised nations is coronary heart disease (CHD). Why the disease affects the genders differently is still not fully understood. European Hospital Editor Brigitte Dinkloh asked Professor Rafaelle Bugiardini MD FESC, from the Department of Internal Medicine Department, University of Bologna, whether he could explain the reasons and what…
An artificial “brain” built by a 17-year-old whiz kid from Florida is able to accurately assess tissue samples for signs of breast cancer, providing more confidence to a minimally invasive procedure. The cloud-based neural network took top prize in this year’s Google Science Fair.
Cancer specialists everywhere increasingly face new findings from molecular biology. Genetic profiling of tumours opens up entirely new perspectives on the disease. How to cope with and integrate new insights into cancer diagnosis and treatment was among key issues discussed at the 2nd European Forum on Oncology, held in Berlin this May
Enormous technical developments over recent decades, along with greater understanding of tumour biology, have made imaging, pathology and laboratory medicine indispensable tools in personalised cancer treatments.
]‘We are very pleased to be able to offer our patients top quality and, most importantly, very precise radiotherapy,’ said Professor Wolfgang Mohnike, Medical Director of the Diagnostic and Therapeutic Centre (DTZ) in Berlin – one of the leading outpatient cancer centres in the city. The newly equipped Radiotherapy Centre at the DTZ was inaugurated at the beginning of June and the new…
Germany’s mammography screening programme, introduced in 2005, was rolled out across the country in 2009 for women between the ages of 50 and 69 years. The mammo screening coordination office, which heads up and monitors the country’s 94 screening units, has published for the first time an evaluation report with follow-up examinations after a twoyear period.
Magnetic resonance imaging is a long-established, highquality and safe examination tool. Why, therefore, do German gynaecologists and radiologists question its value in breast cancer diagnoses? Indeed the question ‘Breast MRI - yes or no?’ has split the medical community. One ardent champion of breast MRI is Professor Christiane Kuhl MD, director of the diagnostic and interventional radiology…
Following 13 years at the University Hospital Erlangen, in January this year radiologist Dr Boris Adamietz became a partner in the radiological group practice at Herkomerplatz in Munich. So far he has no regrets about his role change. Along with more intense patient orientation and the end of weekend and night shifts, he is pleased with the innovative ultrasound solution in the practice, which is…
The multinational, multicentre Breast Elastography 1 (BE1) study – launched in April 2008 and led by Professor David Cosgrove of Imperial College of Medicine, London – has shown the clinical benefits of ShearWave Elastography in ultrasonic diagnoses of breast lesions.
Along with a call for earlier identification and intervention in sepsis cases, intensive care consultant Dr Ron Daniels also stressed that timely intervention is cost-effective for health systems as it leads to fewer sepsis patients needing treatment in intensive care units (ICU).
After breast screening and prostate screening there is currently a lively discussion around the introduction of a lung cancer screening programme in Europe. Study results from the US appear to back up the supporters of this early detection of cancer for smokers. Prof. Dr Jürgen Biederer, Consultant and head of the Division of Pulmonary Radiology at the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional…
Imaging of the chest is the most common radiological examination worldwide. With the incidence of respiratory problems and lung cancer growing, all radiologists should be familiar with the appropriate imaging protocols. In a field dominated by chest x-ray (CXR) and CT, controlling radiation dose is mandatory.
The benfit of breast cancer screening for women over aged 50 is beyond doubt. However, what does a systematic search yield for breast cancer in women aged between 40 and 49? This question, which remains controversial, was raised again at ECR 2012.
Around for almost 20 years, minimally invasive technologies such as laparoscopy and robot-assisted surgery are popular subjects – and aired again during the 27th EAU Congress held in February at the Palais des Congrès, Paris.
The Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA) is urging healthcare providers, patients and policymakers worldwide to treat sepsis as a medical emergency. “Tens of millions of people die from sepsis each year, making it the likely leading cause of death worldwide. Sepsis kills regardless of age, ethnicity, location and access to care,” said Konrad Reinhart, M.D., Chairman of the GSA and director of the…
Breast cancer screening for women between 40 and 49 years – yes or no? This is one of the most controversial issues as this year’s European Congress of Radiology (ECR) in Vienna. For Professor Dr Andy Evans of the Centre for Oncology & Molecular Medicine at the University of Dundee the answer is clear: “Yes. There is good evidence that breast cancer screening for women in their 40s is…
A multi-disciplinary team approach is crucial if healthcare professionals are to offer breast cancer patients the best possible care in the years ahead. That was the opinion voiced by three experts at an ECR 2012 session on Saturday afternoon with delegates addressed by a radiologist, surgeon and an oncologist.
A series of papers presented at the European Congress of Radiology on Friday have highlighted how hybrid imaging is helping radiologists achieve better results in the diagnosis of patients’ conditions. In a session focussing on molecular imaging and entitled “Hybrid imaging: PET-CT and MR-PET”, findings from ten different research papers were detailed by radiologists from Italy,…
The European Congress of Radiology (ECR), the annual meeting of the die European Society of Radiology (ESR), started on Thursday in Vienna. 20,000 visitors are expected to participate in the congress which is one of the largest healthcare events worldwide.
Early this year the radiology and nuclear medicine practice of Doctors Andreas Blynow, Frank Muller, Jorg Kowalski in Ludwigshafen, Germany, began to offer breast examinations using Europe’s first Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) scanner. With 15 years experience with Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Dr Muller introduced the new PEM scanner to the partners’ practice to detect and assess…
Hologic a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of premium diagnostics products, medical imaging systems and surgical products dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of women, will launch four ready-to-market technologies at the European Congress of Radiology.
This technique is increasingly used to detect breast cancer and has been shown to improve diagnosis in many clinical situations. It is also allowing clinicians to detect previously unknown areas of breast cancer in women with newly diagnosed disease.
Currently there is a truly enormous hole in the ground in the city of Wiener Neustadt, Austria, but by summer 2012 MedAustron, one of the most modern centres for ion therapy and research in Europe, is to be built here.
MRI: Although an area of constant debate, this is becoming a widely accepted clinical modality in Europe. However, researchers in The Netherlands have shown that performing pre-operative breast MRI in all women with invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) can reduce the need for re-excision.
In breast imaging, advances are constant. Dr Peter Brader, at the Department of Radiology, Division for Molecular and Gender Imaging, Medical University Vienna, believes a paradigm shift will take place in this and by 2025.
Sonography is the most important non-invasive supplementary procedure to mammography, the current gold standard in breast cancer diagnostics. High-resolution ultrasound can reliably distinguish cysts and solid lesions.
Using precise information about an individual’s genetic makeup is becoming increasingly routine for developing tailored treatments for breast, lung, colon and other cancers. But techniques used to identify meaningful gene mutations depend on analyzing sequences of both normal and mutant DNA in tumor samples, a process that can yield ambiguous results.
In Europe, 350,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer annually. About 90% of them can be cured if the cancer is detected at a very early stage. To improve early detection almost all European countries have gradually initiated regional screening programmes, even though the benefits are discussed controversially from time to time.
Silicone breast implants are the most popular type of implant. The postulated relation between silicone breast implants and the risk of connective tissue and autoimmune diseases has generated intense medical and legal interest during the past decade. Considerable controversy has surrounded the long-term safety of silicone breast implants.
The European medical technology industry association Eucomed notes with great concern recent press reports that the French firm Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP) may have violated the regulations by using unapproved industrial-grade silicone in some of its implantable products and by allegedly falsifying or withholding documents.
Reliable Cancer Therapies (RCT) celebrates the first anniversary of its website in style. The Swiss non-for-profit organization has completed comprehensive guides for cancer patients and their relatives, which are now available on its website.
Two years ago Dr Michael Michell and team at King’s College Hospital, London, set out to explore the benefits of tomosynthesis over conventional 2-D mammography. Their study has shown advantages in diagnostic accuracy and indicates that tomosynthesis could help to reduce the number of patient recalls for further examination and thus anxiety among women.
Dr Katja Gabriel of the Hirschhauser & Gabriel Obstetrics and Gynaecology Practice in Erkrath, Germany, describes clinical experience with this novel technique and the resulting improved diagnostic accuracy.
Based in Guangdong, China (VR), the Shantou Institute of Ultrasonic Instruments Co. Ltd. (SIUI) has been engaged in the development and manufacture of medical ultrasonic diagnosis scanners, industrial ultrasonic detectors and ultrasonic transducers since 1978. The company reports that, from its beginning as a small scientific research institute, through the years SIUI has developed into a key…
Siemens Healthcare reports that the firm’s new Acuson S2000 system includes the new multifunctional transducer 6C1 HD (high density) specifically designed for abdominal examinations, displaying even the smallest lesions at greater depths. At Medica, the company is also demonstrating its Virtual Touch Tissue Analytics technology, a proprietary implementation of Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse…
Expert warns that breast screening across the country needs to undergo a dramatic transformation over the next 15 years, Mark Nicholls reports.
‘As we become more successful in the early detection and treatment of breast cancer, we tend to trivialise it. Yet one in 9 women still get breast cancer. Half of them become depressed, their partners don’t know how to react and their families are in disarray. We need to stop trivialising breast cancer. It kills women.’ So says Dr Fabienne Liebens, Head of the Saint-Pierre Hospital’s…
Films with vivid 3-D images draw millions to cinemas – regardless of the plot. This technology, which is based on a stereoscopic effect, is not only entertaining but also medically relevant, as demonstrated by the Amulet three-dimensional digital mammography system produced by Fujifilm.
The daily management of around 700 examinations within the national mammography screening programme keeps Dr Ilse Vejborg and her team at Rigshospitalet pretty busy. ‘We have the largest screening unit in Denmark with 200,000 women aged 50-69 years in the target group invited for an examination every second year,’ she explains.
Sectra has completed a mammography-modality deal with Royal Philips Electronics. Philips will pay EUR 57.5 million in a cash-on-cash and debt-free basis and take over the acquired modality operation today, September 1, 2011.
Catastrophes draw people closer, as demonstrated by the development of the new high-end ultrasound scanner Aplio 500 from Toshiba. The clinical evaluation period took place during the tsunami and the nuclear catastrophe in Fukusima. Professor Thomas Fischer at the Radiological Institute, Charité Clinic in Berlin, was impressed by the enormous commitment shown by the Japanese firm’s engineers…
More than 90% of patients who present with suspect or highly suspect breast lesions (BI-RADS categories 4 or 5) now undergo biopsies. Further treatment is only carried out after the precise histological clarification of the tissue sample is obtained. The intervention is routinely carried out via ultrasound guided punch biopsy. Thanks to new techniques the procedure is now becoming even more…
Since 1991 the International Breast Ultrasound School (IBUS) has indefatigably promoted progress and quality assurance in breast ultrasound -- a good reason for IBUS to celebrate its 20th anniversary during WFUMB.
Detecting prostate cancer with transrectal ultrasound using strain elastography is quite tricky: it works by applying pressure to the transducer to measure relative stiffness of tissue, Professor Correas points out and states that ‘more than 80 percent of prostate cancer develops in the peripheral zone which is against the rectal wall. If we apply pressure to this zone the deformation of the…
Contrast agents have opened up entirely new possibilities are taking shape for ultrasound, above all in oncology. Following the publication of guidelines on the clinical use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) by the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB) in 2004 and 2008, at this year’s World Ultrasound Congress, WFUMB and EFSUMB will present joint…
In recent years, the technique of breast ultra-sonography has become an essential procedure in the diagnostic evaluation of breast tissue. The improvement of ultrasound technology, especially with regards to the high resolution of modern devices and the use of colour Doppler sonography, has made this technique indispensable in our daily routine. Although the value of conventional breast…
Research into new methods to prevent and slow metastatic breast cancer will be presented this week at the Era of Hope conference, a scientific meeting hosted by the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP).
Sectra and Royal Philips Electronics have signed an agreement under which Philips will acquire Sectra’s mammography modality operations. The cash purchase consideration amounts to EUR 57.5 million on cash and debt-free basis. The agreement also includes an additional possible earn-out EUR 12.5 million in accordance with specially agreed terms and conditions.
Yes, it’s in beautiful Dresden again and -- as in 2006 when the city last hosted the Congress of the German Society for Senology -- this year’s Congress President is Professor Rüdiger Schulz-Wendtland (Department of Radiology, University of Erlangen). However, the repetition ends there; the congress topics will be anything but repeated. Report: Meike Lerner
HI-RTE allows the assessment and real-time colour display of tissue elasticity. The current generation ultrasound modality has proven applications in breast, prostate, thyroid and pancreatic disease and where diagnostic biopsy is indicated, HI-RTE allows more accurate localization and targeting of lesions.
Established in 1987, Unilabs now has operations in 12 countries, employs more than 3,700 people, with 220 medical doctors, and presents the most comprehensive portfolio of diagnostic services, geographically covering a most extensive area of Europe.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. Evaluation of the axillary lymph nodes is essential to insure complete cancer removal. Fluorescence imaging instead of radioisotopes is an innovative method for sentinel lymph node detection.
Dr Bill Svensson believes that elastography has the potential to improve diagnosis of breast cancer, reduce the number of false positives in the detection of the condition and also lead to fewer biopsies performed as accuracy of imaging improves further. This June he highlighted the potential of elastography and the developments in the imaging modality at two sessions at the United Kingdom…
Every medical congress is an opportunity for the manufacturers to showcase their products. This year’s congress of the German Röntgen Society was no exception -- and one innovation particularly caught the attention of our European Hospital team: positron emission mammography, PEM for short.
No imaging modality is infallible -- not even mammography, the golden standard for early detection of breast cancer. Particularly in women with dense breast tissue, the diagnostic quality of conventional mammography frequently suffers in terms of sensitivity and specificity. However, the evolution of digital systems has produced technologies that optimise sensitivity as well as specificity and…
Oestrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer, remains hard to treat despite major advances in surgery and adjuvant therapies. The latest results from a Swedish study [Pub: Breast Cancer Res. 2011 May 14;13(3):R49] suggest that a high daily intake of coffee -- more than five cups -- is associated with a statistically significant decrease in ER-negative breast cancer among postmenopausal women…
Preliminary research presented at SNM’s 58th Annual Meeting is breaking new ground for the development of a brand new hybrid molecular imaging system. Simultaneous positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is providing important diagnostic information about soft tissues and physiological functions throughout the body. Scans focused on screening suspicious lesions…
Although powerful, new, targeted treatments are regularly introduced to cancer clinics, choices for the first-line treatment of invasive breast cancer normally lie between preventive surgery and chemotherapy. A recent American study used genomic prediction combining multiple signatures to determine outcomes to standard chemotherapy.
2011 The American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) has published the program for its 2011 Annual Meeting being held July 23 – 28 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. This year the Annual Meeting features almost 300 individual educational events in a variety of formats. Hot topics for 2011 include cancer, obesity, diabetes, and healthcare reform.
Delegates at the UKRC 2011 will examine who should deliver 21st century imaging services in the UK, when the relationship between radiologists and radiographers will be the focus of a keynote debate. The session ‘This house believes that radiologists have given up enough of their professional role to radiographers’ will also see delegates vote on this issue.
Stroke, breast cancer detection, sports medicine – the clinical programme is an impressive illustration of this year’s congress theme: Radiology is diversity. Florian Schneider asked the joint congress Presidents, Professor Bernd Hamm (Berlin) and Professor Walter Hruby (Vienna) to highlight the major topics at this, the largest medical imaging event (attendance around 7,000) in the…
Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in males in developed countries and the sixth leading cause of cancer death worldwide. One reason for the increase in diagnosis is the widespread uptake of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, capable of detecting slow growing cancers that might otherwise go undetected.
Hologic announced today that its Selenia Dimensions digital mammography system in two dimensional (2D) mode has been awarded “EUREF Type Test” certification by the European Reference Organization (EUREF) Council for Quality Assured Breast Screening and Diagnostic Services.
From first lady of breast MRI to the Germany’s most influential woman in radiology – that’s one way to describe Professor Christiane Kuhl’s switch from being Vice-Chairman of the Department of Radiology and Vice President of the University of Bonn to become Chairman of the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at the University Hospital Aachen (UKA).
As one of the first in Europe, the FUS Centre at the Klinikum Dachau in Germany introduced MRgFUS in 2008 as a gentle alternative for the treatment of fibroids. The success that has since been achieved in this encouraged Dr Matthias Matzko, head of radiology and of the FUS Centre, to take on a leading role with the introduction to the market of the second product generation, the ExAblate One.…
Mammography is the most widely used modality for early detection of breast cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. But its limitations, such as the high number of false positives it creates, have led researchers to focus on different strategies to characterize breast carcinomas more accurately, such as tomography, MRI and molecular imaging. In a new horizons session today at…
ContextVision, the software imaging partner for the most recognized medical imaging manufacturers worldwide, today introduced two innovative solutions at the 2011 European Congress of Radiology (ECR). A mammography solution addresses current limitations of x-ray image diagnosis for the detection of breast cancer, while the interventional radiology solution helps achieve superior, real-time images…
Vienna - For the 23rd time, the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) is opening its doors to welcome 19,000 participants from over 90 countries. The scientific exchange of knowledge and the presentation of the latest developments in the field of radiology will again be presented right in the heart of Europea. In an inaugural press conference on March 3rd, the hot topics of the congress were…
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in Europe: each year 350,000 new cases are diagnosed and each year about 130,000 women die of the disease. At the same time breast cancer is one of the few cancer types with encouraging healing prospects – if detected early.
In 2005, when they founded the French ultrasound company SuperSonic Imagine, Jacques Souquet PhD and Claude Cohen-Bacrie had to convince radiologists that they not only offered a new product but also a completely new ultrasound technology that could measure entirely new parameters.
SECure TRAnsmission, the main aim of a spin-off from the Linköping Institute of Technology, was established in 1978. From this beginning, the Swedish firm Sectra has evolved into one of the world’s leading players in PACS and mammography solutions. Although secure communication systems remains a core business, the medical section has constantly grown since 1988, when Dr Torbjörn Kronander…
It’s digital mammography taken to the next level – or, so to speak, the next dimension as digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) that provides high resolution 3-D imaging. For about two years this exciting technology has promised to become the magic bullet in the early detection of breast cancer, particularly in the dense breast.
Thinking of the future of imaging, inevitably PET-MRI springs to mind. The fascination of this novel hybrid technology is great, seeing how it combines the best from three imaging areas: anatomy, function and metabolism. The further development of functional procedures in oncology is raising particularly high expectations. However, how extensive the use of this potentiated image information will…
Breast cancer can develop very differently in different women. Researchers in Norway are improving breast cancer diagnostics and treatment by identifying the various tumour types. The objective is to find out as much as possible about the various tumour types so that each patient can receive precisely the right treatment at the right time.
A leading radiologist is forecasting a ‘paradigm shift’ in breast imaging. Dr Peter Brader, from Department of Radiology, Division for Molecular and Gender Imaging, Medical University Vienna, envisages that diagnosis and treatment will move from a ‘one size fits all’ approach to one of personalised molecular medicine by 2025. He also foresees greater use of theranostics with combinations…
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.
There will be nearly 1.3 million deaths from cancer in Europe in 2011 according to predictions from a study published in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology. The estimates, which have been reached after researchers used for the first time in Europe a new mathematical model for predicting cancer mortality, show a fall in overall cancer death rates for both men and women when compared to 2007.
Breast cancer screening programmes are helping to reduce the mortality rates of women by finding cancer in its early stages when it is easier to treat. Sweden was one of the first countries in the world to introduce a screening program after succesful clinical trials in the 1980s. However x-ray radiation is also a risk factor for inducing breast cancer, meaning that a low radiation dose is…
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…
Yes, cancer research is making rapid progress, but -- how can the transfer of cancer research into successful treatments be accelerated? In Berlin this October, that vexing question was up for discussion during the European Forum on Oncology. Also on the agenda: How best practice approaches to cancer therapy can be adopted throughout the European Union.
Hologic announced the signing of an exclusive partnership agreement with SuperSonic Imagine, S.A., an innovative producer of diagnostic ultrasound technology. Under the terms of the agreement, Hologic will sell, install and service SuperSonic Imagine's Aixplorer ultrasound technology platform to the breast care community in the United States.
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…
Sectra has been recognized by Frost & Sullivan for its unique photon counting mammography system, Sectra MicroDose, with the Product Quality Leadership, Women's Health Imaging Europe 2010 award.
Increasing access. Improving quality and efficiency. Lowering costs. When GE launched its healthymagination initiative last year, these were the long-term goals and at RSNA 2010, GE Healthcare highlighted a variety of technologies developed to support this strategy and help improve patient care worldwide.
Tissue hardness provides radiologists and gynaecologists with significant information to help distinguish between benign and malignant tumours. Tumour tissue is harder and less malleable than normal glandular and fatty tissues. Therefore, the classification of tissue hardness determines whether a biopsy is necessary. For breast diagnoses, real-time tissue elastography, along with conventional…
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are the engine that drives tumour growth. They can not only reproduce themselves but also differentiate to form all the specialised cells found within a tumour. While chemotherapy and radiotherapy non-specifically target all rapidly dividing cells, there is increasing evidence that CSCs are more resistant to these treatments. Report: Karoline Laarmann
High resolution radionuclide imaging is a technique increasingly used to detect breast cancers and has already been shown to offer improved diagnosis in many clinical situations. The technique, which will be discussed at RSNA 2010 (28 November to 3 December, Chicago) , is also allowing clinicians to detect previously unknown areas of breast cancer in women with newly-diagnosed disease.
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation repeatedly compare well with surgery in the treatment of primary and secondary liver, kidney and lung tumours and the palliative care of bone cancer. Thus oncologists are increasingly attracted to using bloodless, non-invasive treatment methods. High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), primarily used in myoma therapy, is leading medical…
Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is a promising new technology that acquires 3-D breast images. The individual images are presented as thin, high-resolution slices, which can be displayed individually or in a dynamic cine mode. Preliminary studies in a clinical setting have demonstrated that this new technology has the potential to improve not only the breast cancer detection but also to reduce…
It’s been around for decades, re-emerged in the ’90s and, today, experts see a bright future for tomosynthesis technology. Thus its progress and future developments, plus specialist uses (e.g. breast) will be a particular feature at the Radiological Society of North America scientific assembly and annual meeting in Chicago this year.
Women could be undergoing unnecessary breast surgery as a result of having magnetic resonance imaging, says an expert on bmj.com. In the last decade, says Malcolm Kell, Consultant Surgeon and Senior Lecturer at the Eccles Breast Screening Unit at University College Dublin, MRI or magnetic resonance mammography has become the most favoured type of investigation for high risk patients when combined…
Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is a promising new technology that acquires 3-dimensional images of the breast. The individual images are presented as thin high-resolution slices that can be displayed individually or in a dynamic cine mode. Preliminary studies in a clinical setting have demonstrated that this new technology has the potential to improve not only the detection of breast cancers…
White nights in St Petersburg draw in not only romantics, but June in this beautiful city also sees thousands of delegates arrive to attend the many scientific conferences and congresses. Among oncologists, the ‘white nights’ period means another annual scientific conference organised by the NN Petrov Research Institute of Oncology. For its continuing focus on breast cancer, the halls are…
Standard mammography is the most relevant diagnostic tool to address breast cancer: It shows excellent image quality, a smooth workflow, high connectivity and a very good clinical outcome in terms of sensitivity and specificity. However, there are certain shortcomings to it, especially in dense breast tissue.
A study looking at breast cancer patients in England compared to those in Norway and Sweden has highlighted the importance of early detection. The three-country comparison reveals that every year almost 1,000 more lives could be saved in England alone.
Innovative technologies such as elastography, shearwave and 3-D have been cause for euphoria in today’s ultrasound world. The most recent development in breast imaging also has the potential to revolutionise this field, because the Automated Volume Breast Scanner (ABVS) is allowing user-independent and reproducible image acquisition for the first time.
The Italian firm Internazionale Medico Scientifica (IMS) produces highly innovative mammography units under the brand name Giotto. More than 3,500 Giotto systems are now in use in 38 countries, mostly in Europe, America, China and the Far East. Reason enough for European Hospital to visit IMS in Pontecchio Marconi, Bologna.
During his Honorary Lecture at the 8th Düsseldorf Breast Cancer Conference in Germany world renowned surgeon and oncologist Prof. Veronesi reflected about the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.
Invited by Dr Mahdi Rezai, medical director of the breast centre at Luisen Hospital in Düsseldorf, Germany, and founder of the European Academy of Senology, some 1,400 international specialists attended the 8th Düsseldorf Breast Cancer Conference this June where leading experts evaluated new imaging methods.
Does diabetes further increase the risk of death in patients diagnosed with cancer? A team at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, has discovered something very sobering: Cancer patients are 51% to 85% more likely to die after surgical resection if they had pre-existing diabetes.
Standard mammography is the most relevant diagnostic tool to address breast cancer: It shows excellent image quality, a smooth workflow, high connectivity and a very good clinical outcome in terms of sensitivity and specificity. However, there are certain shortcomings to it, especially in dense breast tissue. Over the last 12 years, technical and clinical research is done with contrast-enhanced…
Italian surgeon and oncologist Prof. Dr. Umberto Veronesi, Founder and Scientific Director of the European Institute of Oncology in Milan and former National Health Minister (2000 – 2001), is considered to be one of the biggest authorities on breast cancer research of our time. Many breakthrough changings in cancer medicine sustainably go back on his researches, which once earned him also a…
The Swedish IT and medical-technology company Sectra has been awarded a contract to install four MicroDose Mammography units for use in Victoria. The Sectra MicroDose units offer improved or identical image quality at a lower radiation dose than other solutions in the market.
St Jude Medical Center, in Fullerton, California, has always taken pride in its reputation as one of Southern California’s most respected and technologically advanced hospitals. With 384 licensed beds and over 700 physicians the centre offers a comprehensive array of services and programmes, including cardiac, stroke care, a breast and cancer centres, full maternity services, orthopaedic…
New biomarkers play a key role in individualised tumour therapy. They are important indicators for pathological processes in the body and for the use of adequate cancer drugs. In our European Hospital interview Professor Celso A Reis, from the Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP*) in Portugal, discussed the current state of clinical use of…
With HI Vision Preirus ultrasound system and the Oasis Open MRI system, Hitachi Medical Systems offers advanced imaging technology combined with maximum patient comfort.
Hologic announced that the Hologic Selenia® digital mammography system with a tungsten tube has received “Mammographic Type Test” certification by the European Reference Organization (EUREF) Council for Quality Assured Breast Screening and Diagnostic Services. The Hologic system is the first mammography system of any type to receive this certification.
Recent reports on cancer risk from radiation at CT have sparked new concern and discussion in the medical community as well as in the general public. It has been suggested that CT may be responsible for up to 2% of all cancers.
This year's European Congress for Orthopaedics, Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, organised by the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (EFORT) and which will in tandem with the Spanish Orthopaedic and Traumatology Society (SECOT) Congress, is expected to draw 7,500 international participants.
A telemedicine network project currently being implemented in the Leipzig region has won Australian IT firm iSOFT the top award in the 5th Ideenpark Gesundheitswirtschaft (Idea-park Healthcare) competition, presented by the Financial Times Deutschland at its annual FTD-Health Conference in Berlin. The awards are given for projects that contribute to greater transparency, productivity and…
The German Senology Society has campaigned for women’s breast health for 30 years. Founded in 1980 on the then very novel concept of organ-related, interdisciplinary, scientific cooperation, today a large percentage of the society’s 1,800 members are gynaecologists, radiologists, surgeons and internists.
Something that often obstructs a pioneering medical spirit is simply a practicality: the lack of space. For many hospitals, investment in new medical equipment is linked with construction and reshaping the hospital’s architecture – sometimes impossible because of the infrastructure. This was precisely the situation at the University Hospital Geneva (Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève = HUG)…
Siemens Healthcare was presenting its latest solutions for the early detection and treatment of breast cancer at the German Radiology Congress in Berlin. These Breast Care Solutions include a variety of imaging procedures, such as ultrasound, mammography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), supplemented by IT and laboratory diagnostic solutions. Siemens places special focus on the third…
The overall success of MRI in diagnosing breast cancer and the exploding demand for breast MRI, in particular, have caused a scanner shortage in much of Europe. Dr Jean-Pierre Pruvo, Chairman of the French Society of Radiology, recently raised the alarm: ‘We have hundreds of thousands of women in France at risk for breast cancer, yet we do not have the means to provide a breast examination by…
The limitations of mammography are well documented, yet it is still the gold standard in breast cancer detection - particularly due to the positive cost-benefit ratio. Due to prohibitive costs, MRI exams are performed only in well-defined cases. The HIGHREX project (www.highrex.eu) aims to evaluate Single Shot Spectral Imaging (SSSI) technology for use in mamma diagnostics.
2010 workshop in Aachen, Germany, in March, were welcomed by Professor Thomas M Deserno, head of the Medical Informatics Department at RWTH Aachen University and organiser of what turned out to be an ‘outstanding’ scientific programme.
Performing pre-operative breast MRI in all women with invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) can reduce the need for re-excision, according to a study conducted through two major cancer centres - the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre and the Netherlands Cancer Hospital/Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has joined forces with almost 40 of the UK's leading health organisations to warn that cutting specialist nurse services for people with long term conditions would be a "false economy", as they began a campaign for guaranteed access to specialist nursing care for all patients with long term conditions.
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.
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.
While biomarkers are acknowledged as useful tools in the early assessment of patient response to treatment, radiologists are less clear on how they can be applied in clinical practice. The ECR session Biomarkers: new word, new world, new work? explored a number of new applications for biomarkers with senior radiologists discussing their relevance in different areas.
The past year has not improved the prospects for ultrasound, according to Lorenzo Derchi, MD, who chaired the session at ECR 2010 dedicated to « Future direction of ultrasound » and opened the discussion by saying the field is in decline.
Within Germany’s mammography screening programme, more than 10 million women, aged between 50 and 69 years, are entitled to a breast examination. It’s taken just over a year for all 94 of the country’s screening units to open their doors to meet this demand comprehensively.
An international survey of women with metastatic breast cancer conducted to evaluate their perceptions of quality of life and what additional medical information and support was needed to help them uncovered an unexpected finding. At a time when patients with incurable cancer are needed to participate in clinical trials, the majority of these women were never advised about any breast cancer…
During a symposium at ECR 2010 SuperSonic Imagine presented the preliminary results of the largest breast trial ever undertaken by an ultrasound company involving 956 breast cases. Some of them were presented to approximately 350 visitors by Prof. Ingrid Schreer, Kiel, Germany.
Physicians, over many centuries, have depended on the sense of touch as their hands on method to detect diseases in many body areas. This technique is called palpation. However, though it was known that abnormalities in the stiffness or mechanical environment in tissue may have a profound impact on how many diseases progress, conventional imaging modalities could not display tissue stiffness in…
An estimated 70 million CT scans are performed annually in the USA, a threefold increase since 1993. US physicians rely on CT scans and other diagnostic imaging procedures to make accurate and speedy diagnoses and, until recently, they have not questioned the radiation dose exposure the patient receives. However, this attitude is changing, as physicians and other medical professionals realise…
At the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) 2010 in Vienna, Siemens Healthcare presented its innovative ultrasound solutions. The highlight this year was the new release of its premium Acuson S2000 ultrasound system featuring significant advancements in ARFI technology (Acoustic Radiation Force Imaging) for the detection and quantification of tissue. Combined with a 3D breast volume scanner…
Molecular imaging, a new science that emerged from molecular biology, is unlike traditional imaging. Whilst the latter can, for example, show the differences in proton density or water content on MRI, molecular imaging uses biomarkers (probes) that interact selectively with molecules within an area and then generate the image according to fine molecular alterations occurring inside (e.g. within a…
Sectra’s RIS/PACS enables workload sharing across multiple sites as well as handling of very large image stacks over strained networks. At this year’s ECR, the company is showing a range of products that further strengthen its cross-enterprise capabilities in radiology and mammography.
At ECR 2010 in Vienna, Sectra focus on solutions for increased productivity. Sectra RIS/PACS is a performance solution for wide area radiology. Built on the latest Sectra RapidConnectTM technology, it allows radiologists to work from any location that offers reasonable Internet access and to share images and information between multiple locations with ease.
Digital mammograms deliver an average of 22% less radiation than film mammograms, according to a study partially funded by the National Cancer Institute and published in the American Journal of Roentgenology, Reuters reports. For the study, researchers analyzed the results of the 2005 Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial involving 49,528 women. That trial found that digital mammograms…
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…
More women die of breast cancer in areas where mammography centers are few and far between, according to research by a Medical College of Georgia radiology resident. Breast cancer mortality rates ranged from 34.1 per 100,000 women in counties with no mammography facilities to 27.5 in those with at least one, said Dr. Kandace Klein, a fourth-year radiology resident.
Breast and cervical cancer together account for more than one quarter of all female cancer deaths worldwide, with the majority – including more than 85 % of all cervical cancer deaths – occurring in developing countries. However, a small number of highly effective programs demonstrate that much can be done to reduce risk and increase sustainable access to diagnosis and treatment for these…
Members of a Syracuse University research team in the USA have shown that an obscure phenomenon called stochastic resonance (SR) can improve the clarity of signals in systems such as radar, sonar and even radiography, used in medical clinics to detect signs of breast cancer. It does this by adding carefully selected noise to the system.
Brain tumors are the primary cause of cancer mortality in children. Even if a cure is possible, young patients often suffer tremendously from the stressful treatment which can be harmful to the developing brain. Therefore, there is an urgent need for target-oriented, gentle treatment methods. The most important childhood brain tumors are medulloblastoma, which is diagnosed in approximately one…
Targeted breast ultrasound of suspicious areas of the breast, including lumps, is a safe, reliable and cost-effective alternative to invasive biopsies for women under age 40, according to the findings of two new studies presented.
Scientists are closer to discovering why some people respond to breast cancer radiotherapy better than others, according to Breast Cancer Campaign. Dr Laura Smith, at the Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Leeds, has been awarded a pilot grant by Breast Cancer Campaign, to study why some types of breast cancers are difficult to destroy with radiotherapy.
Elastography is an effective, convenient technique that, when added to breast ultrasound, helps distinguish cancerous breast lesions from benign results, according to an ongoing study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
At RSNA 2009, GE Healthcare is presenting a big basket filled with trends and innovations for the radiology department:
At RSNA 2009, Sectra launches a new breast imaging PACS workstation built on Sectra RapidConnect technology. With this next-generation mammography workstation, Sectra focuses on customer productivity and wide area radiology.
Quality counts. That's the theme of RSNA 2009, the global annual assembly of radiologists, medical physicists, diagnostic imaging clinical and IT professionals, and more than 700 companies that provide products and services. For six days, over 200 scientific sessions with more than 1,500 presentations, 1,500 educational exhibits, and more than 500 posters, many interactive, can be attended and…
At RSNA 2009 in Chicago, Sectra focus on solutions for increased productivity. Sectra RIS/PACS is a performance solution for wide area radiology. Built on the Sectra RapidConnect technology it enables efficient workload sharing across multiple sites, even for large image stacks over strained networks. This way, Sectra RIS/PACS provides the opportunity to cope with ever-expanding challenges such…
Cancer imaging is one of the most promising medical fields. Hybrid technologies, such as PET/CT or future MRI/PET, are the tools radiologists and oncologists use to gain ever deeper insights into the biological characteristics of tumours. During the Medica Congress the Integrated diagnostics and therapy in oncology imaging session (Thursday 19 November) innovative tools and related developments…
French expert Dr Jacques Souquet PhD, President of SuperSonic Imagine, describes the value and potential of ShearWave elastography, the latest development in ultrasound that enables radiologists to acquire user independent information about tissue stiffness by measuring both, ultrasound and shear waves.
In recent years Hitachi Medical, the pioneer in developing ultrasound elastography to diagnose tissue stiffness, has seen competing systems launched that claim to have the same capability. ‘We are approaching a point where elastography will be considered a standard feature, call it the E-mode, for ultrasound,’ Heinz Schreiber, head of Ultrasound for Hitachi Medical Systems Europe told…
The Innovation Prize for outstanding, application-oriented ideas in life sciences has been awarded by the Working Group of BioRegions at the Biotechnica in Hanover to research groups from Heidelberg, Munich and Ulm. Professor Lisa Wiesmüller, of the Women’s Hospital, University of Ulm, received the €2,000 prize for developing a test system for the identification and early detection of breast…
Professor Roger Tsien, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 2008 for the ‘Discovery and Development of Green Fluorescent Proteins’, was one three* Keynote Speakers at the opening ceremony of the Medical Physics and Bioengineering World Congress 2009, held in Munich this September.
ECCO 15 – ESMO 34, the joint congress of the European CanCer Organisation (ECCO) and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), is Europe’s largest oncology meeting; the event drew to Berlin 15,000 participants from 120 countries this September, when more than 2,000 presentations were made. Among the presentations on prevention, treatment and survivorship, proteomics, biomarkers,…
Philips has developed a proprietary technology for elastography that uses new strain analytics for signals captured on the IU22 volume linear transducer and yields a relative quantification of tissue stiffness, which is presented as statistical charts displayed alongside a colour-coded qualificative image superimposed on the B-mode screen.
Most of the 30 institutes around the world that work with a 7-Tesla MRI scanner do not focus on answering questions about the clinical benefit of this field strength; their efforts revolve around the brain and neurosciences. One exception is the Erwin L Hahn, at the Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, which is based at the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, a World Heritage Site in…
The scanner shortage in France is a scandal, says chairman of the French Society of Radiology. New MRIs must be installed in 250 emergency departments
For many indications, because PET-CT produces a very high accuracy for many tumours, this modality is the gold standard, Prof. Reiser confirmed. It also enables good observation of the course of the disease. After an injection of radioactive tracers we can visualise increased metabolic activity in great detail and with high sensitivity. This is an increasingly important issue not only in primary…
Hologic is using the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) at McCormick Place in Chicago, November 1 through 5, 2009, to feature the MammoSite ML radiation therapy system.
Advances in cancer prevention and treatment reported at this week´s premier European congress for specialists in gynaecological cancers show that care is being more effectively tailored to the needs of individual women, so that survival can be improved without the cost of added complications and reduced quality of life.
In addition to being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this October is the tenth anniversary of digital mammography, a technology introduced by GE Healthcare in 1999. Similar to digital photography, digital mammography replaces the film used in traditional mammography with digital files viewed and stored on computers.
The first joint congress ECCO 15 - ESMO 34 of the European CanCer Organisation (ECCO) and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) is taking place this week in Berlin. It is the only congress in Europe that covers the entire spectrum of cancer from basic science and translational research, to prevention, treatment, nursing and supportive care for all types of tumours.
A new initiative designed to inform and educate policymakers at national, European, and global level about the needs of the oncology community was launched at Europe's largest cancer congress, ECCO 15 — ESMO 34, in Berlin. The European Academy of Cancer Sciences will help to keep the interests of cancer patients at the forefront of the policy agenda, and avoid policy decisions that had a…
Removal of the primary breast tumour in women whose cancer has already spread to other parts of the body can have a significant effect on their survival, Dutch researchers have found. Their research meant that women who were diagnosed at a late stage of the disease could expect to survive longer. They discovered that those patients who had received surgery survived for considerably longer than…
Colorectal cancer (CRC) jointly describes cancers of the colon and rectum. Worldwide, CRCs are among the most common cancers. In Europe and the USA the occurrence of CRCs are considerably higher than in Africa and Asia.
For the past 30 years, in the former USSR and Russia, laser medicine has been actively developed and regular annual conferences have opened new avenues for its use by the country's doctors.
Founded and managed by Prof Peter Schlag, the Charité Comprehensive Cancer Centre (CCCC) co-ordinates cancer diagnostics and therapies across all medical disciplines. Interdisciplinary tumour boards decide on therapies/strategies; cooperation is close with general practitioners, regional hospitals and clinics.
During a gathering of clinicians, scientists and economists at this year's Medical Technology Congress (Treffpunkt für Medizintechnik) held in Berlin's Charité Hospital, all 17 lectures focused on cancer treatments. Bettina Döbereiner reports
Completion of a Phase I clinical trial has demonstrated the great promise of a completely new type of cancer treatment, according to results announced this June in The New England Journal of Medicine by scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and the Royal Marsden Hospital in the United Kingdom, working with pharma firm AstraZeneca.
Researchers around the globe are studying whether a genomic test, developed with micro-array technology, is superior to traditional methods in assessing aggressive breast cancer, and therefore could spare a considerable percentage of women from the onslaught of chemotherapy The Breast International Group (BIG) in Brussels, Belgium, manages TRANSBIG, an international network created to avoid…
3D Net Perfusion, new software developed by The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) working with Biotronics3D, aims to improve the accuracy of MRI scan analysis and treatment efficacy by extracting data from tumour images and transforming it into usable information. In addition, the analytical tool provides a method to visualise and measure blood supply to cancers - a crucial factor in tumour…
Agendia announced the official opening of its new headquarters at Amsterdam's Science Park at Watergraafsmeer, Kruislaan 406. The Grand Opening ceremony was officiated by Dr. Rene Bernards, Chief Scientific Officer at Agendia and the Honourable Director General Mrs. R.M. Bergkamp, on behalf of the Honourable Mrs. Maria van der Hoeven, Minster of Economic Affairs for The Netherlands.
A paper of Professor Christiane K Kuhl and her colleagues had discovered that, to detect pre-invasive breast cancer (DCIS), the addition of high-resolution MRI and state-of-the-art mammography offered a significantly higher sensitivity compared with state-of-the-art mammography.
"In-vitro veritas", the slogan of the 18th European Congress of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, which took place in June, underlined the significance of in vitro diagnostics for healthcare, and the presentations by 90 speakers, in 32 scientific sessions and 29 industry sponsored workshops, demonstrated the rich variety of developments.
Preliminary results of a study on the acceptance of the German mammography screening programme indicate that women support current efforts to detect breast cancer early.
Breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) is a promising new technology designed to supplement mammography and breast ultrasound examinations when these show suspicious findings. By helping to detect early stage breast cancer it may reduce significantly the number of negative biopsies performed. Dilon Technologies (Newport News, Virginia), pioneer of this technology, received the CE Mark to sell its…
Real-time Tissue Elastography, an ultrasound procedure that uses colour to differentiate clearly and unambiguously between malignant, hardened tissue and flexible, benign tissue could be the addition needed to have really effective breast cancer screening, according to independent radiologist, and specialist in Real-time Tissue Elastography Dr Bruno Scheffer from Nantes, France.
Intra-operative radiotherapy (IORT) using the Intrabeam system from Carl Zeiss has been confirmed as a new alternative to the current approach to radiotherapy for breast cancer, by scientists and physicians at a symposium on IORT technological developments held in Germany.
One of the key topics at the EFORT Congress, held recently in Vienna, was on opportunities offered by computer-aided surgery (CAS) to achieve better results for many orthopaedic interventions. Within the next decade CAS will lead to the routine use of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for knee prosthetics, hip replacement and osteotomy.
European healthcare facilities are turning to vendor-neutral, multi-modality breast imaging workstations to streamline reading of digital breast exams. The KODAK CARESTREAM Mammography Workstation enables diagnostic review of all breast imaging exams (FFDM, ultrasound, MR, CR and others) as well as all general radiology exams.
Senology is fast becoming a medical specialty that utilises methods and knowledge from various medical disciplines specifically to treat breast cancer. Based in Dusseldorf, the European Academy of Senology (EAoS) aims to close the gap between theory and practical applications.
Not so long ago this country, of considerable linguistic division, was a split into three regions, referred to as Flemish (with five provinces), Walloon (with five provinces) and the Brussels Capital. Each has its own parliament, with governments responsible for their individual region's affairs; these include health. Dr Catherine Breucq, head of the Breast Imaging Department at Brussels…
Studies show promise for fast, 5-day therapy for early-stage breast cancer patients
Although the majority of the 18,000 participants at ECR 2009 were radiologists, medical writer Rob Skelding reports that a specific session for radiographers was well attended. The event also underlined the value of their interpretive skills
Women in families with a history of breast cancer have a significantly higher risk of developing the disease.
Every year the German Society for Senology congress facilitates interdisciplinary breast cancer discussion between gynaecologists, radiologists, surgeons, pathologists, internists, radio-oncologists and plastic surgeons. In an interview with Karoline Laarmann, of European Hospital, radiologist Professor Ingrid Schreer (right), head of the Breast Centre at the University Women's Hospital in Kiel,…
Although breast cancer, the most common disease affecting women, accounts for over 30% of all the cancers they suffer (far ahead of colon, ovary or lung cancer), breast cancer is responsible for only 1% of cancer related deaths.
A new partnership between BreastHealth UK (BHUK) and Lab21 Ltd aims to offer women predictive genetic testing for breast cancer risk. BHUK, which offers personalised, private breast screening services, has launched a Breast Health Risk Assessment Service.
The breast cancer risk of women who are regularly physically active in the postmenopausal phase is reduced by about one third compared to relatively inactive women, according to a study conducted by the German Cancer Research Centre (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) and the University Hospitals of Hamburg-Eppendorf.
Among the most important EU guidelines for efficient breast cancer screening is the assumption that it is a low-threshold offer, which, after an initial start-up period, will include at least 70% of all women aged between 50 and 69. To ensure that this quota is met in areas that lack infrastructure, whilst also keeping personnel expenditure at bay, for the last few years mammobiles have toured…
Analogue screening systems are gradually being replaced by digital mammography systems, and breast cancer screening programmes are increasing sales. The majority of European countries have implemented in European countries, but in some others their introduction is slow, but steady. Additionally, Europe has significant geographic diversity, and remote places served by mobile screening units…
An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology has demonstrated a better way to deliver cancer drugs directly to tumors by using specially engineered nanoparticles that can inhibit a signaling pathway and deliver a higher concentration of medication to the specific area.
The figures prove that even in the face of current economic difficulties, first-class quality still ensures success. 274 scientific presentations and 25 industry-supported Satellite Symposia and Hands-on Workshops bore witness to the most recent developments in science and research.
In a symposium organised by Bayer Schering Pharma at the 2009 European Congress of Radiology (ECR), the audience heard a series of four presentations on the potential advantages of high-signal-intensity contrast agents for MRI, focusing on gadobutrol (Gadovist). During the discussion, several claims made by the speakers were challenged and debated by ECR delegates.
New possibilities in breast ultrasound comprise techniques for optimizing image quality such as tissue harmonic imaging (THI) and frequency compounding (FC), tools for post-processing US raw data such as strain imaging (elastography), and the use of Realtime-Sonoelastography, PD Dr. Anke Thomas from the Charité in Berlin, Germany, introduced her speech at the Hitachi Symposium Realtime Tissue…
Arriving at the Austrian Congress Center in Vienna, a pink truck is striking the eyes of the visitors of ECR. The truck took the long way from Belgium to Austria to demonstrate a pretty successful project of the University Hospital Brussels: A mobile mammography unit that examines women living in rural areas and who otherwise would probably not join the screening programm. The trailer was…
It is not only the examination itself that makes mammography screening programmes successful, an intelligent integration of the data into the hospital´s RIS is another integral part of it. Since last year, a new mammography module for the Carestream RIS, is improving mammography screening administration in three of Denmark's five regions. Development work on the innovative module was initiated…
Within the last three decades, contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance breast imaging has gone through substantial developments, evolving to become the imaging modality with the highest sensitivity for breast cancer detection. The indication to perform breast MRI ranges widely, including high-risk patients, dense breast tissue and therapy monitoring under primary systemic therapy.
Delegates at the 2009 European Congress of Radiology (ECR) saw a series of presentations Friday unveiling new findings and key updates on digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT). As the body of research builds in this relatively unexplored field, the advantages and limitations of DBT compared with conventional full-field digital mammography (FFDM) and other modalities are becoming better defined.
The Dutch screening programme, which began in 1990, invites women aged 50-75 years for mammography screening every two years. Today, the national programme is undergoing considerable regional re-organisation. As one of a team of 12 radiologists at the Alkmaar Medical Centre, Dr Shirley Go is responsible for Mammography and Screening in a large Dutch region. Daniela Zimmermann, asked Dr Go about…
On this years ECR Siemens Healthcare presents its dedicated MRI breast scanner. With it's pink design it immediately catches the eye on the company's booth. In an interview with EH, Boris Tolkien, Vice President Marketing Magnetic Resonance, Siemens Healthcare pointed out the highlights of the 1.5 Tesla system beyond its colour.
Dr Giorgio Rizzatto, who heads the Department of Diagnostic Imaging at ASS 2 Isontina (including the Gorizia and Monfalcone hospitals) in NE Italy, works with nine radiologists, who examine and report on 80,000 clinical and screening breast examinations annually.
Early detection currently remains the most promising way to optimise the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, lower the mortality rate resulting from this disease, and improve patients' quality of life.
SecondLook Digital from iCAD is Philips' new computer aided detection solution for early breast cancer detection. It supports physicians in identifying and marking suspicious areas. The software performs optimally with both Philips DR and CR mammography solution and seamlessly integrates in Philips PACS and Philips viewing workstation MammoDiagnost VU.
The diagnostic use of ultrasound has improved significantly because of improved resolution and reduction in artifacts, allowing increasingly more specific examination.
Siemens Healthcare exhibits its latest solutions in the field of Magnetic Resonance (MR) for Oncology at the European Radiology Congress ECR 2009 in Vienna. The syngo TimCT Oncology application enables not only comprehensive patient examinations within extreme short examination time possible, it can also eliminate the need for multiple examinations with other modalities.
The Netherlands - People in developing countries run health risks from pharmaceutical companies testing drugs on them for the Western market.
Biomarkers are biochemical features or facets that can be used to measure the progress of disease or the effects of treatment.
To date, there is insufficient knowledge as to the cause of this disease, or how to prevent it. We asked some of our EH correspondents to report on measures taken in their countries to ensure that men are made more aware of this disease and whether screening services are provided for early prostate cancer detection.
To date, there is insufficient knowledge as to the cause of this disease, or how to prevent it. We asked some of our EH correspondents to report on measures taken in their countries to ensure that men are made more aware of this disease and whether screening services are provided for early prostate cancer detection.
GE Healthcare's first Discovery PET/CT 600-series scanners are being installed in a number of leading clinics around the world. "This first set of installations is a big step forward in the diagnosis and monitoring of disease", said Terri Bresenham, newly appointed vice- president and general manager of GE Healthcare's global Molecular Imaging business.
Cancer may well surpass cardiovascular diseases as the primary case of death in Europe by 2012. To prevent this from happening, cancer therapeutics have to shift in focus from the treatment of symptoms to offering a total cure, despite the complex, multifactorial nature of cancer indications.
Radiologists are paying increasing attention to ultrasound real time tissue elastography (HI-RTE). Earlier this year, at their annual meeting, the Austrian, Swiss and German Ultrasound Societies (ÖGUM, SGUM, DEGUM), highlighted the effectiveness of the method in differentiating soft from stiff tissue, i.e. healthy areas from tumours, a key differentiation in breast cancer diagnosis.
An estimated 6.7 million people in developed countries were diagnosed with cancer in 2007. Delivering their care is no easy matter. Tele-oncology, the remote provision of oncology services, could not only reduce the costs of consultations for cancer departments, but also for patients. Kerry Heacox, of i.t. Communications, reports on the success of remote consultations in Labrador and Newfoundland.…
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and GE Healthcare plan to establish over 25 local cancer centres in various countries within the coming decade.
Breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) is effective in the detection of cancers not found on mammograms or by clinical exam, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
The Acuson S2000 Automated Breast Volume Scanner (ABVS) system automatically and quickly acquires full-field sonographic volumes for comprehensive review and diagnosis of the breast streamlining workflow and reducing operator dependence and variability.
When the first `diagnostics week´ was held 40 years ago the exhibition attracted just a handful of companies, all from the laboratory sector. At the time, no one could have known that this sedate event would eventually develop into the world's biggest medical exhibition, MEDICA.
A mastectomy is prudent when breast cancer returns after a lumpectomy, because survival rates are higher for those who have another lumpectomy, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Surgery in October.
If, in the early days of mammary sonography, it was revealed to be helpful to render tactual findings in a visible manner (sonic palpation), then now is the time to palpate clinically occult findings in a new manner (Elastoscan).
Olwen Glynn Owen reports on MammaPrint, a test that pinpoints the risk of breast cancer recurrence from the primary tumour's genetic make-up. Women with breast cancer tumours under
High frequency ultrasound (US) techniques continue to improve with better resolution and exquisite B Mode imaging, particularly with improved compounding techniques seen with the Aplipure+ product. However, particular focus has been on improving techniques for breast imaging and one distinctly novel idea is to highlight microcalcifications within tissues.
Sonoelastography, a procedure that measures the elasticity of tissue and differentiates between healthy and hardened pathological tissue, will make cancer diagnosis safer in the future. For example, it has been shown to improve the accuracy of prostate cancer diagnosis by 20%.
The Centre for Medical Imaging Ruhr (zmb ruhr) in Bochum offers the technological infrastructure for the development of therapeutic and diagnostic imaging procedures. The primary focus is on ultrasound — the most commonly used imaging procedure in Germany, delivering the highest volume of examinations.
Most professionals will recognise issues that call for consideration in a wider context, a context that does not merely consider strictly professional issues, i.e. issues based upon facts and figures, write Johannes Gossner MD and Joerg Larsen MD FRCR, of the Institute for Roentgendiagnostics, Braunschweig Teaching Hospitals, Germany.
The use of mammography to maintain breast health comes with a caveat: exposure of the breast to radiation, which can increase the susceptibility risk of breast cancer. Thus, using the lowest possible radiation dose for mammograms is of utmost importance.
In a pre-conference discussion with this year's President, Professor Hans-Heinrich Kreipe, Director of the Institute for Pathology at Hanover Medical School, he outlined the significance of MRI in breast cancer detection, and highlighted other topics for the event.
Professor Friedrich Degenhardt (right), Head of the Gynaecology Clinic at Franziskus Hospital, Bielefeld and the Cooperative Breast Centre Bielefeld-Herford, Germany, is using elastosonography to examine breast carcinomas. We asked him to outline present finding as to its value, future potential, and the current value of ultrasound in breast cancer detection.
High frequency ultrasound (US) techniques continue to improve with better resolution and exquisite B-Mode imaging, particularly with improved compounding techniques seen with the Aplipure product.
The fact that the female breast is one of the most radiation sensitive organs in the human body is a major driver for all those searching for low radiation alternatives - one of these routes lies in photon counting.
'Diagnostics is not diagnostics, not even when it relates to a specific indication such as breast cancer,' says Professor Walter Heindel MD (right), who heads the Munster Mammography and Breast Centre Reference Centre at Munster University Hospital, focusing on the dissimilarities among patient groups and their peculiarities.
Siemens Healthcare has opened a new research centre in Cologne, where around 40 employees are developing new diagnostic tests to describe the molecular characteristics of breast cancer cells, to help physicians to select individual therapy.
If, in the early days of mammary sonography, it was revealed to be helpful to render tactual findings in a visible manner (sonic palpation), then now is the time to palpate clinically occult findings in a new manner (Elastoscan*).
It is safe to take anticoagulants before core needle breast biopsies, according to a study performed at the Elizabeth Wende Breast Clinic in Rochester, NY.
The US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) will fund a new project to develop four computer-based decision-tools that will help clinicians and patients answering questions like: When to use genetic tests? How to deal with the results? Or which treatment could be the best?
Double reading is better than single reading - at least for the detection of small breast cancer. But a software could boost one readers functionality. UK-researchers found out that performance of a single reader using a computer-aided detection system may match the performance achieved by two readers.
Fighting breast cancer is always a race against time - early detection of breast carcinoma an essential condition for cure. Now Scientists from Finland, Germany and France developed a promising new CT technique with high resolution and contrast that visualises tumours that are even diffusely growing or those in dense breasts.
Yes, it is, according to a prospective cohort study published in CMAJ. The study was conducted by researchers from the Hong Kong Institute of Diabetes and Obesity, the Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Science and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Their result: A V-shaped risk relation between LDL cholesterol and cancer in patients not receiving statin therapy.
Approximately 31 million people in the European Union are suffering from diabetes, a devastating disease with severe consequences for patients and their families, but also for the society at large and the economic prosperity of Europe. This week EH Online will focus on innovative strategies in diabetes care and on new management systems to support physicians and patients alike. Moreover, we will…
Accurate diagnostic analysis and staging of cancer of the bile duct still remains a challenge. According to a new study from Germany a new imaging system called Cellvizio allows physicians to examine tissue at the cellular level from inside the body may now enable them to diagnose one of the most difficult cancers to detect.
“Molecular breast imaging” (MBI), a new scintigraphy method developed by US researchers, might improve early detection of breast cancer in women with dense breasts. The results of an initial clinical study were recently presented at the Breast Cancer Symposium of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Washington, DC, USA.
To fight hospital infections and increasingly resistant bacteria Normeditec has developed Toul Mobile Laminar Airflow
Siemens Healthcare will show its Acuson S2000, the first ultrasound system in the new product series S, at the ESC*. The system platform includes integration of the newest technologies to optimise workflow, e.g. comprehensive software applications such as new software for breast imaging.
Tumour cells can migrate, sometimes also during a surgery to remove the tumour. US researchers recently found, that perioperative treatment with a drug known as colchicine might protect against recurrences at the site of the surgical wound.
More than 4,500 cancer and radiotherapy specialists will gather in Göteborg, Sweden, this September for the 27th annual congress of ESTRO. ESTRO 27 is to be held between the 14th and 18th September 2008 at the Göteborg Convention Centre in Göteborg.
Women who survive breast cancer for at least five years have a 89% chance that it will not recure. But those, who are still suffering and on endocrine treatment are likely to get arthralgia and arthritis.
More than 250,000 women under the age of forty are living with the disease in the US and 11,000 will be diagnosed in the next year. Even so, young women are underrepresented in many research studies and treatments, according to genomic expert Simon Chin.
Hospital infections are immensely dangerous. Toul Meditech has therefore developed a new mobile laminar airflow system which can be used in every operating room in addition to the existing ventilation system.
The idea of measuring tissue stiffness using ultrasound is nothing new. But lately the field sets a rapid pace. “Real-time, hand-held elastography is now a commercial reality,” asserts Jonathan Ophir from the University of Texas Medical School.
Researchers compared the Norwegian organised population based mammogram screening every second year and a physician- or self-referrals annual test in the US. Both are equally sensitive, but the recall rate for abnormal results was lower in Norway.
It sounds impressively simple: An over-the-counter pain-relieving gel from the drugstore may reduce the uncomfortable and even dolorous feeling women experience during mammography exams, according to the a study published in the online edition of Radiology.
As rocks keep the secrets of the earth, bones might keep those of the body. A new study that will be publish in the September 1, 2008 issue of CANCER suggests, that factors responsible for higher bone mineral density might also lead to higher risk of breast cancer.
Last month Agendia announced the official opening of the company's new headquarters at Amsterdam's Science Park. The new facilities offer 13,000 square feet of laboratory and office space to support the company's molecular diagnostic cancer testing services and research activities.
With the help of an engineered common cold virus spreadings of prostate cancer in the pelvic lymph nodes can be visualised with a PET scanner. It is now possible to treat the cancer in an early stage. But the developers of the virus from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center see a chance to even use it as a treatment option.
The HER2 gene causes a very aggressive kind of breast cancer. It influences the number of cancer stem cells and therefore as well the spreading of metastases. The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center now made the discovery that the drug Herceptin can drastically reduce the amount of the stem cell population in HER2 positive-breast cancer.
Since decades women carefully feel their breast. Hoping that they will not find any evidence for lumps or other changes, that might signal breast cancer. However, a review of recent studies conclude that self-exams do not appear to reduce deaths. Whereas radiation therapy may lower recurrence rate of rare breast cancer.
Doctors have to fulfil two jobs, which seem to be diametrically opposed: They have to provide the best care for their patients and simultaneously have to think economical. Researchers found that rising health care costs in cancer care make it necessary for clinicians to be aware of the relative costs of new interventions.
Mammography is the common way to detect breast cancer. But it's not perfect: it struggles to image dense glandular tissue or early-stage tumours. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers best sensivity but it is expensiv and not always specific enough. Now researchers have come up with another option: a scanner that integrates thermoacoustic and photoacoustic tomography to achieve dual-contrast…
While in Europe experts still discuss whether mammography screening is the ideal tool to save women from breast cancer, the Wall Street Journal investigated if mammography is really enough. Physicians claim that women with higher risk to develop breast carcinoma should receive MRI or ultrasound.
Magnetic Resonance Guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) therapy was introduced in June at the Amperklinikum in Dachau, near Munich, the third German site, after Berlin and Bochum for this new technology.
Although incremental improvements in cancer care were unveiled at the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology held in Chicago, USA, — the world's largest gathering of cancer specialists, our correspondent Ian Mason writes that, even as new study results were being reported, their cost implications for stretched healthcare budgets were questioned.
Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics will showcase the combined strengths of Diagnostics Products Corporation (DPC), Bayer HealthCare Diagnostics and Dade Behring.
With its request to all EU states concerning better colorectal cancer care, europacolon was prelude to the 10th World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer (WCGC) in Barcelona. Europacolon is the first European organisation dedicated to colorectal cancer. Their current report about the disease is meant to be a call to action.
Siemens Healthcare is working on diagnostic tests for early detection and characterziation of a patient's tumor cells. The Cologne laboratories for molecular diagnostics especially concentrate on the research of breast cancer, a disease that still is number one cause of death among women. The results should help to adapt a customized therapy to the individual patient.
"Hearing the sad news that breast cancer has returned can be a devastating experience for patients, especially as this means that the disease is no longer curable. Doctors also find imparting this information to women with whom they have developed a trusting relationship over the years extremely distressing. However, optimal use of available treatments will enable more women to stay cancer-free…
An intraoperative MRI system being developed by UK firm Specialty Magnetics could speed the treatment of breast-cancer patients. The company is working on a dedicated intraoperative MR breast scanner that will enable doctors to carry out image-guided treatments as soon as disease is detected and diagnosed.
Fujifilm Medical Systems USA, based in Stamford, Connecticut, reports that it's CR for mammography (FCRm), a full-field digital mammography system, is now available for use in mobile mammography environments.
The next big development in biological targeted therapies for advanced breast cancer will be drugs acting via multiple mechanisms, experts told delegates attending the 1st Asian Breast Cancer conference, held in New Delhi 9-10 February.
The prosecution of two doctors and a faith healer has been ordered by the Dutch appeal court, due to their treatment of a patient who died seven years ago.
At the DRK Congress (Deutscher Röntgenkongress, 30 April - 3 May, in Berlin, Carestream Healthcare will introduce its new digital radiography and computed radiography systems, including the DirectView DR 9500 System, the DR 3500 System, as well as its latest single-cassette CR products, DirectView CR Elite and the new Kodak Point-of-Care CR 360.
Artiste is a linear accelerator and CT scanner combined. At the German Cancer Research Centre, a team of scientists led by Professors Wolfgang Schlegel and Uwe Oelfke of the Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology division, contributed substantially to the technical development of the Artiste platform. They report that users will be able to observe and correct the actual position, extension and…
The recent marketing of "at home" genomic tests for disease risk may be premature, according to Dr. Kenneth Offit, MD, MPH, Chief of the Clinical Genetics Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). "Health professionals are now faced with the prospect of their patients coming to the office, a DNA profile in hand, asking for preventative management tailored to their…
'How do you treat the HIV-positive, diabetic, schizophrenic patient presenting with chest pain? By making the necessary information available for personalised medicine'
Radiological services and equipment are not yet adapted to obese patients. The accuracy of current MRI, CT and Ultrasound is hindered by subcutaneous and intraabdominal fat. These modalities are crucial in diagnosing pathologies associated with obesity, including heart-related disease. Optimising imaging modalities will be a major challenge for radiology.
Your ECR 2008 highlights for Sunday!
Sectra's wide portfolio on show at the ECR this year includes a new PACS workstation, a photon-counting MicroDose Mammography system, pre-operative solutions for orthopaedic surgery and the company's full range of Enterprise Control solutions.
Analytica, to be held in Munich for the 21st time, has become a leading international trade fair for instrumental analysis, laboratory technology and biotechnology, showcasing the entire range of equipment, solutions and services for laboratories in industry and research. About 400 exhibitors will fill five halls in the New Munich Trade Fair Centre.
Today, Real-time Tissue Elastography (HI-RTE) provides a method to determine tissue elasticity of certain organs, such as the prostate, in real-time and to perform precise biopsies for reliable tumour diagnosis during standard examinations.