August 2008 Blog Archive
Friday, August 29, 2008
Health Dept. Program Makes Colon Cancer Screening More Accessible
It is considered highly important for people of both genders who are over the age of fifty to get regular screening for colon cancer. This is a highly fatal and widespread disease that can be effectively treated if caught in the early stages through appropriate colon cancer screening.
However, the cost of getting colon cancer screening done hinders some patients from bothering to try to detect the disease when it is in stages that can still be treated. A new health department program available in one county is trying to remedy that problem.
As more and more attention has been given to the seriousness of the issue of colon cancer, government programs have been funded to help reduce this problem. Screening is the most effective way to reduce the problem. This particular program uses government funds to offer free colon cancer screening and colon cancer treatment to patients of a certain income bracket.
Learn more about this program and the way that it has already helped people with signs of colon cancer from
this article.
Question of the Day: What should be the government's role in funding colon cancer screening?photo link
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Renal Imaging Requires Correct CT Imaging Procedures
Renal imaging is considered to be an imperfect science in comparison to some of the other imaging procedures that are out there. The CT scan is capable of providing information about renal lesions. However, the nature of the lesions makes it so that the CT scan alone isn't sufficient for making sure that lesions are not missed. The main approach to making sure that the CT scan is as effective as possible in renal imaging is to keep tight protocols in place to reduce the problem of missed lesions when reading CT scans.
"In renal imaging, the issue remains protocol design -- and it's been the protocols where our successes or failures really happen," said Dr. Elliot Fishman, professor of radiology and oncology and director of diagnostic imaging and body CT at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. "The injection rates, the scan parameters, the decision about which phases to choose and how we process the data all become critical." (source)
This presents a two-fold fact for the future of renal imaging through CT. The first fact is that it may make sense to work on developing a better scan for use in renal imaging to reduce the problems that are present with the current CT scan process. The second fact is that training of medical professionals to properly and closely follow the protocols of renal imaging should be considered a priority in this field.
Question of the Day: Why does the CT scan not suffice for renal imaging and what can be done about it by the medical imaging community?photo link
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Automation May May Make Virtual Colonoscopy More Effective
The best tool that is out there for screening to detect colon cancer is the virtual colonoscopy. This is the easiest procedure available in terms of the comfort of the patient. More importantly, the virtual colonoscopy is capable of not only detecting potentially-harmful polyps in the colon but also of assessing the size and therefore the risk level of those polyps.
Currently the results of the virtual colonoscopy are ready by humans, doctors who take a look at the information provided in the screening and who determine what the risk level is of the polyps based on their size. This is obviously a time-consuming and specialized job which makes it inefficient and costly to the patient.
What doctors hope is that there may be a way to actually automatize the process of reading the screening results so that a computer can read the scans and assess the polyps. Recent testing shows that attempts to do this have been successful and that patients who have screening read this way are just as likely to get accurate results as are patients whose scans are manually read.
Learn more about the details of the study related to this topic from
this report.
Question of the Day: What should be done to make the virtual colonoscopy more efficient while still maintaining the accuracy of the results?photo link
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
FDG-PET for Highly Specific MRI Supplement
There are some times when you want to get one type of scan in order to supplement the information that is provided to you through another type of screening. For example, some people are saying that when you get a mammogram done and it shows signs of cancer, you should supplement the mammogram with a breast MRI to gain more detailed information about the cancer spread. Likewise, it is
recommended that the FDG-PET scan be used to supplement MRI information for those people who may have acute osteomyelitis in a diabetic foot.
Basically there is a need to make sure that the diabetic patient doesn't have acute osteomyelitis. However, there aer sometimes contraindications which make it impossible or unwise to use the MRI to obtain this information. the FDG-PET scan can be used instead in order to exclude the presence of acute osteomyelitis. This can help to guide the treatment and assess the progression of the diabetic complications in the body.
Question of the Day: How do we know which scans should be primary and which should be supplementary for various types of diseases?photo link
Monday, August 25, 2008
Colon Cancer Screening Recommended for Obese Patients
Colon cancer screening is recommended for all patients over the age of fifty. However, there are some people who are more likely to be at risk of getting colon cancer than others so there are certain groups that receive a strong recommendation to get colon cancer screening thean does the average person. One of those groups is the obese.
People who weigh significantly more than they should are at greater risk of developing colon cancer than are people of normal weight. It has even been found to be true that people who are overweight and who then choose to lose weight are going to significantly decrease their risk of getting colon cancer once they have gone down to a normal weight.
The best prevention for colon cancer in the obese is for these people to lose weight and to get down to a health BMI. However, that's not going to be the case for everyone. Patients who are obese and who remain obese over time should make sure that they get regular colon cancer screening in order to detect the disease as early as possible so that it can be treated before it becomes fatal.
Read one study linking high BMI with high rates of colon cancer
here.
Question of the Day: How often should obese people get colon cancer screening?photo link
Friday, August 22, 2008
Talk About Preventive Health Experiences Here
Yesterday we discussed the importance of being open with others about your preventive health screening. There are several reasons that it is good to talk openly with people in your life about the fact that you are getting regular screening done for colon cancer, heart disease or other illnesses.
Some of the reasons that you should be open about your screening include:- You will feel better about the fears that you have when you are open about them.
- You will encourage family members to take responsibility for getting their own screening.
- You will help to raise general awareness of the importance of preventive screening which can lead to better screening rates and therefore to more funding for screening.
So it's a good thing to talk about preventive health screening. And why not start that conversation here? Your comments are always welcome on this blog ....
Question of the Day: What have your experiences with preventive health screening been like?photo link
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Talk Openly About Preventive Health Issues
One of the most important things that you can do for your health is to get regularly screened for diseases as recommended by your doctor. And one of the most important things that you can do for the health of others in your life is to be open with them about the fact that you are getting this screening. The more that we talk about this issue, the more likely it is that people will become aware of the importance of
preventive health screening and that they will get it themselves in order to prevent disease.
This is particularly true in families where the problems might be genetic. If Dad is stoic and gets his heart scan without telling anyone about it then his adult children might not realize that it would be a good idea for them to get a heart scan too. It might be too late before they get recommended for a preventive scan like this or they may not take it seriously when the recommendation is made. This could mean that heart disease isn't detected until nothing can be done about it.
Question of the Day: How important is it that we are open in discussing our preventive health measures?photo link
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
News Sources for Preventive Health Issues
It is difficult to stay on top of the latest information about medical imaging and preventive health. This is due to the fact that the equipment that is used for
body scans is constantly being updated and improved. It is also due to the fact that scientific research provides us with new information that alters the recommendations that are made for regular screening. In order to be as aware about the latest information as possible, it is a good idea to seek out reputable news sources for regularly obtaining this information.
The most reliable resources that you are going to find in terms of the news that is out there about preventive health issues are medical journals. These journals publish the latest studies and information available. They let you know what medical experts are doing in the world of preventive health today.
Not everyone is interested in reading medical journals, though. That's due in large part to the fact that these journals are expensive but is due even more to the fact that the information in medical journals can be difficult for the average person to understand. As a result you may think about reading medical news sites and obtaining newsletters from doctors specializing in medical health. These sources take the information from medical journals and rewrite it so that you as a patient can better understand it.
Question of the Day: What is the best news source for information about preventive health issues?photo link
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Male vs. Female Medical Imaging Specialists
You are about to go in to a doctor for a series of different preventive health exams. Maybe you are getting your annual
colon cancer screening. Perhaps you need to get a preventive
heart scan or a
lung scan because you've reached the age where these things are necessary. For whatever reason, you need to get a scan and you want to go to a good doctor to get that done. Does it matter to you if the doctor is a man or a woman?
Most people don't have a preference between male and female doctors for preventive health screening. They just want the person who is best for the job. This is probably due to the fact that concerns about the gender of a doctor tend to be related to fears of embarassment that are associated with being younger; preventive health scans are usually done on older patients who have gotten over these feelings over the years.
But what if you do have a preference for one gender over the other when it comes to getting your preventive health screening? There is nothing wrong with seeking out a doctor of the gender that you prefer. It is important that you be comfortable with the doctors that you are working with so you might as well make all of the choices that you need to make in order to make that happen.
Question of the Day: Do you have a preference for male or female preventive health doctors?photo link
Monday, August 18, 2008
Read Books About Medical Imaging and Preventive Health
If you are truly interested in the topics of radiology,
preventive health screening and medical imaging then there are a lot of different types of materials that you should be reading in addition to blogs like this one. One very important resource that many people neglect to consider in researching issues like these is the written book resource.
The main reason that people fail to read books about preventive health and medical imaging is because they are concerned that the material in these books will be too daunting. Medical topics can be written about in a very dry way that makes them overwhelming for people to read. However, it doesn't have to be that way.
There are good books out there about preventive health which are authored in such a way so as to make you more capable of reading them without problems. There are also a lot of memoirs out there by people who have undergone detection and treatment of disease; these can be a great way to get a personal look at what preventive imaging is all about.
Question of the Day: What are the best types of books out there about medical imaging and preventive health?photo link
Friday, August 15, 2008
Adjunct Breast Imaging To Experience Major Growth
Recent news reports and research reports have indicated that there is a strong interest in adjunct breast imaging designed to enhance the results of standard breast exams like the mammogram. The breast MRI is the technology most often being reported in terms of adjunct breast imaging use but there are other types of adjunct breast imaging technology (like the breast specific gamma imaging system) that can also be used to provide advanced imaging information to patients at risk of breast cancer. It is expected that the use of these types of imaging systems is going to grow considerably over the next four or five years.
"On average, only 4% of breast imaging procedures employed MRI in 2008, yet almost all respondents expect this modality to be more heavily used by 2013, fueled by both falling procedure costs and improved image quality." (source)
The basic rate of growth that is predicted in general for adjunct breast imaging is 28% growth per year for the next five years. This means that we are going to see big changes take place in terms of the annual breast exams and the breast cancer diagnosis and treatment methods that are in place today. This could mean a big leap in the battle to end breast cancer.
Question of the Day: What percentage of breast cancer patients will be using adjunct breast imaging for diagnosis by 2013?photo link
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Outpatient Imaging To Grow Through 2013
The field of medical imaging is a field that is going strong since people are increasingly aware of the importance of getting various types of preventive health screening in order to detect diseases in their early stages and to prevent them from becoming fatal. This field is likely to continue to remain strong, with a high level of growth for outpatient imaging expected to take place between now and 2013.
One report shows that there was a three-fold increase in both MRI and CT scanning in the ten year period between 1996 and 2006. It further shows that this type of increase is likely to continue not only for the MRI and CT scans but also for other preventive imaging scans including the ultrasound and PET scans as well as nuclear medicine scanning.
Learn more about the predictions that this report makes for the future of outpatient medical imaging
here.
Question of the Day: What types of preventive imaging scans are going to see the most growth in the next five years?photo link
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Celebrity Breast MRI: Christina Applegate
One of the most talked-about issues in breast cancer prevention today is whether or not the use of the
breast MRI is important in detecting the presence and extent of the disease. Some experts say that it's an important tool that should be regularly used for any woman who is at risk of breast cancer while others argue that it should only be used to detect the extent of the disease in women who have already gotten diagnosed as having breast cancer through the use of some other technology like the mammogram.
The arguments about that issue may continue but there is one celebrity who was taking no chances when she
decided to use the breast MRI to detect cancer. Christina Applegate, best known for her role as Kelly on Married with Children but an actress who has played many parts including the role of Samantha on the currently-popular sitcome Samantha Who, has been diagnosed with breast cancer using the breast MRI and will now be pursuing treatment of the cancer.
Question of the Day: Will Applegate's use of the breast MRI make it a more popular preventive imaging tool among women with breast cancer concerns?photo link
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Grants to Improve Colon Cancer Screening
Colon cancer screening rates are not as high as they should be if we truly want to keep a majority of the population safe from the fatal disease. There is a particular problem with disparity in colon cancer screening rates between different income-level and ethnic backgrounds in our society. Two grants have been issued to assist in improving colon cancer screening rates and reducing the disparity in these rates between different populations.
The University of Arkansas and the Madelia Community Hospital in Minnesota have each separately received grants that are intended to increase the rates of colon cancer screening for specific populations that are currently struggling with low screening rates. The grants will be used to increase education and awareness among those groups that have significantly low rates of colon cancer screening.
Learn more about each of these studies from
this article.
Question of the Day: Should grants for colon cancer screening specifically address the disparity in screening rates between different groups in the U.S. population?photo link
Monday, August 11, 2008
Lung Imaging to Improve with New Database
Many people go to the doctor each year to get the very important lung scan which helps to detect lung cancer in the early stages so that treatment can be implemented and the disease can be nipped in the bud before becoming fatal. While the lung scan is an important tool, it is something that could stand to be improved. The problem is not in the technology itself, which is stellar, but rather in the ability of experts to completely and accurately read the information coming from the lung scan.
A new project aims to make this a more successful area of imaging by establishing a database of lung cancer information against which lung scans can be compared so that patients don't have to rely on the eyes of their doctors alone. The lung scan database would allow for computers to assist in reading lung scans and would therefore improve the detection rates of lung cancer.
Learn more about this
here.
Question of the Day: Will a lung scan information database improve the rates of lung cancer screening success?photo link
Friday, August 08, 2008
Women Urged to Get Colon Cancer Screening
Everyone over a certain age is at risk of getting colon cancer and should get regular
colon cancer screening in order to detect the disease in its early stages and prevent it from becoming fatal. Unfortunately, half of the population doesn't seem to take this medical issue as seriously as it should.
Reports indicate that women often mistakenly believe that colon cancer is a male problem and therefore don't realize that they need to get this screening, too.
Colon cancer does not discriminate by gender. In fact, it is the third leading cancer-killer for women behind only breast cancer and lung cancer. It is unclear why women believe that this isn't a problem for them. Whatever the reason, the reports indicate that widespread education regarding the threat of colon cancer for women is in order.
The report reminds us that there are different types of screening that can be done for colon cancer. Although some are considered medically better than others, it is primarily important that the screening be done in the first place. You can work with your doctor to choose the type of screening that is most comfortable and appropriate for you.
Question of the Day: Why do women seem to be under the mistaken impression that colon cancer is only a problem for men?photo link
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Screening Rates Lowered By Perceived Dsicrimination from Health Care Providers
We frequently attribute too-low screening rates to the fact that people need to be education about the importance of getting medical imaging scans such as scans for colon cancer. However, the problem may not always be that people aren't aware of the importance of getting such scans. In fact, people who do believe that these scans are important may still choose not to get the screening due to the fact that the perceive some sort of discrimination from the medical care provider that they are working with.
A
new study indicates that people of minority backgrounds may believe that they are being discriminated against by the health care industry because of their race or ethnicity. These people may opt to avoid important medical screening because they want to avoid dealing with the doctors that they perceive as being discriminatory against them.
It should be noted that the study doesn't actually say that doctors are discriminating against minority patients. Instead, it says that patients are perceiving some level of discrimination. This means that there may be something that medical care providers are doing that hints at discrimination even though they do not intend the behavior this way. This suggests that it is important to study what is happening in this field of medicine that is causing patients to perceive discrimination. Lowering the rate of perceived discrimination could raise rates of screening and improve mortality rates overall.
Question of the Day: How does perceived discrimination in the medical industry impact important medical screening rates (such as screening rates for colon cancer)?photo link
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Bone Density Scans Can Be Done Every Five Years
Many people know that they should get a
bone density scan once they reach a certain age (usually 65) to gain an understanding of their risks for osteoporosis and bone fractures. Just how often the bone density scan needs to be done is up for debate. One
new study says that it is a good idea to do the bone density scan every five years unless there are signs indicating a high level of risk which could cause the need for shorter intervals between screening.
It should be noted that the decline in bone density begins much earlier than age 65 (usually around age 40 for women and even earlier than that for men). However there is a second stage of rapid loss in bone density around the age of 65 at which time it is recommended that regularly screening for problems with osteoporosis should begin.
Although this study indicates that the screening should take place every five years, it should further be noted that even a single bone density scan can provide you with a wealth of information about the risks that you are facing in terms of bone fractures as you age. This information can be very useful in guiding your intake of vitamins and should be considered a crucial part of your overall health plan in your later years.
Question of the Day: How often should the average person get a bone density scan done and at what age should those scans begin?photo link
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Tools Developed To Reduce False Positives in Colon Cancer Screening
People may know that they need to get regular screening for colon cancer. And they may opt not to get that screening anyway because they fear that the process of screening is painful and / or embarassing. One of the specific parts of the screening that people report feeling particularly uncomfortable about is the laxative bowel prep.
When the virtual colonoscopy started to replace the mort traditional colonoscopy, this became less of a problem. That is because it is possible to do the virtual colonoscopy without having to do the bowel prep. This has made the process easier for patients and made people more likely to get screening.
However, the results of the virtual colonoscopy without the bowel prep are not as accurate as doing either the virtual or the traditional colonoscopy with the bowel prep. There are more likely to be false positives with the virtual colonoscopy when the bowel prep is not done.
Researchers have recognized that this is a problem. They want to reduce the number of false positives when using a virtual colonoscopy without the bowel prep. This will hopefully keep patients coming in for screening and improve the results of their testing. This research has resulted in a couple of tools that appear to be successful. Learn more
here.
Question of the Day: What can we do to reduce the discomfort associated with colon cancer screening?photo link
Monday, August 04, 2008
Radiology is Becoming a Super-Specialized Field
It is definitely true that radiology is a specialized area of medicine that requires advanced study and focus. However, it can be argued that the study of radiology thirty or forty years ago was a whole lot simpler than it is today. This is due to the fact that advanced imaging technologies are making the field more and more complex for doctors. In fact, the field is becoming a field made of a number of
subspecialties rather than being just a single specialty itself.
Some doctors are recommending that radiologists work on specializing in one of these subcategories of the field. There are large error rates being reported in some studies of imaging techniques and it is believed that this is caused by the fact that radiologists are trying to learn too many different techniques and equipment types. It is further believed that a more narrow focus by radiologists would reduce the percentage of errors in the field.
It is a good thing that the field of medical imaging has become so complex. It means that we can see more and learn more about the body in order to improve the detection and treatment of many types of disease. However, changes may need to take place within the field itself in order to maximize the results of this advance in technology.
Question of the Day: Should radiologists each focus on one specific type of medical imaging?photo link
Friday, August 01, 2008
U.S. May Take Cues From Europe In Breast Cancer Prevention
The main tool that is used to identify early stages of breast cancer is the mammogram. There are differences in mammography screening between U.S. patients and European patients in terms of the recommended time period between screenings; Europeans go longer between exams. Studies indicate that the effectiveness of the mammography screenings are comparable between the two locations. This could mean that the U.S. may want to relax a little bit regarding the timing of mammogram screening. However, it doesn't necessarily mean that.
The study that provided this information was an interesting study that found that women getting screened in Vermont and those getting screened at a European facility were likely to report the same rates of breast cancer detection. However it should be kept in mind that screening rates in Vermont may differ from those in the rest of the U.S. It should also be kept in mind that treatment for breast cancer differs in Europe from here and may be more effective due to the difference in the health care systems between the two places. As such, it is recommended that further studies be done before determining that mammogram screening can be reduced in the U.S.
Question of the Day: Should mammogram screening rates be the same in the U.S. as in Europe?photo link
