September 2008 Blog Archive
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Non-Invasive Test for Colon Cancer
The most common form of screening for colorectal cancer is the virtual colonoscopy. Although this method of imaging is much less uncomfortable than previously used forms of colon cancer screening, it is still an invasive procedure which causes many people to put off getting tested out of fear over the possible discomfort that they will experience.
Those people who are afraid of invasive colon cancer screening may be happy to know that there has been research that demonstrates the effectiveness of a non-invasive test for colon cancer. The test is a stool-based test that doesn't require the invasive examination of the colon that is required with the virtual colonoscopy.
It is probably better to get the virtual colonoscopy which is approved as a great imaging tool for identifying colon cancer in its early (still treatable) stages than to use a non-invasive method of testing. However, those people who are not going to get screened because of a fear of the virtual colonoscopy should do something rather than nothing and this test is one option.
Learn more about it
here.
Question of the Day: Would you be more inclined to get colon cancer screening if you could use a non-invasive method of doing so?photo link
Monday, September 22, 2008
Digital Radiography Recommended for Small-Bowel Exams
It has been found by a group of researchers that digital radiography is a recommended method of imaging for the use of certain exams that previously had not been recognized in conjunction with this technology before.
"While the benefits of DR have been well-documented in areas such as chest imaging and skeletal radiography, fewer studies exist on its use for small-bowel follow-through (SBFT) exams." (source)
The researchers who determined this found that analog film screen x-rays are what is most commonly used for this type of imaging but that digital radiography is actually capable of providing better results with more efficiency.
Question of the Day: Should doctors start using digital radiography for small-bowel exams?photo link
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
MBI As Alternative to Breast MRI
The breast MRI is a relatively new procedure used for breast cancer screening. It has caused a lot of controversy since it's started being used. Some people say that it's a great tool for providing information in addition to that available with a standard mammogram. Others say that it's too expensive and not necessary for most women to use.
One solution may be to use a supplement to the mammogram that is similar to the breast MRI but isn't quite the same. Molecular Breast Imaging can be used to offer additional information to a doctor who has used a mammogram for breast cancer screening. It is more affordable than the breast MRI and may be a happy medium for those people who aren't sure which side of the breast MRI debate they're on.
Question of the Day: Who would benefit from Molecular Breast Imaging?photo link
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
PET Scans Usually Change Colon Cancer Treatment
There are some people who get colon cancer but they catch it early, treat it and can move on with their lives with no additional problems. Then there are some people who have to battle multiple recurrences of colon cancer. People in both categories benefit greatly from colon cancer screening but perhaps it is truer for the latter category of people than for the former.
One of the things that has been
discovered recently is that people who have recurring colon cancer should be strongly urged to get PET scans to determine the proper treatment for the colon cancer. The study showed that PET scans usually lead to changes in treatment that improve outcomes and results for the patients.
When you are struggling with a disease that may keep coming back and which is as fatal as colon cancer, it is critically important that you have all of the information about the disease that you can possibly have. The PET scan could be the best method of obtaining this information in the case of recurring colon cancer.
Question of the Day: Should PET scans be recommended to all colon cancer patients?photo link
Monday, September 15, 2008
FDG-PET/CT for Coronary Plaque Detection
There are a few different methods that can be used to screen for plaque in the arteries and therefore to protect patients from future problems with heart disease. The foronary angiography and the intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) are two common methods of screening for this problem. However, a new study has shown that some patients may benefit from using FDG-PET/CT scanning for assessment of this potential problem.
One major reason that many people may be interested in this new type of screening is because it is considered to be less invasive than the other types of screening done for assessment of this problem. This also results in the procedure typically being less costly to perform since it's a less invasive and less difficult procedure. Results should still be accurate, though, if doctors know what they are looking for with this type of screening.
You can learn all about this issue
here.
Question of the Day: Should the FDG-PET/CT scan be used to screen for coronary plaque?photo link
Friday, September 12, 2008
Breast Cancer Screening Recommended for Indian Women
The majority of women in America consider the mammogram to be a regular part of their lives once they have reached a certain age. At this point discussions about breast cancer screening tend to focus on which type of screening should be done (the traditional mammogram or the emerging breast MRI, for example) and not whether this type of screening should be done. But in some parts of the world it is still necessary to push for regular screening for breast cancer.
One report indicates that it is of great importance for women in India to consider getting regular breast screening exams. Currently this is not a common procedure in the country due to lack of availability of the service and lack of awareness of the importance of this type of screening.
There is an interesting problem that has occurred in countries like India in regards to breast cancer. The problem is that these women have a lower incidence of breast cancer than do those women in developed countries like the United States. However, those women who do get breast cancer usually aren't diagnosed until the late stages because they don't use preventive screening and therefore the mortality rate for the disease is higher there.
Question of the Day: Should women in developing countries be urged to get breast cancer screening?photo link
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Colon Cancer Survivors Not Getting The Follow-Up Screening They Need
Imagine that you get a
virtual colonoscopy and it tells you the worst - you have colon cancer. You then battle the colon cancer and succeed in eliminating it. Would you continue to get colon cancer screening to make sure that there wasn't a recurrence of the disease?
The answer should be yes. In fact, there is a very specific set of screening guidelines that are in place for those people who have survived colon cancer because of the unique risks that they face in regards to recurrence of colon cancer.
The problem is that
studies have recently indicated that more than half of these types of patients are getting the proper kind of screening. Some are getting no follow-up screening at all whereas others are getting improper screening such as CT scans or
PET scans which aren't recommended for this group.
It is unclear what is causing the lack of follow-up screening for patients who have survived colon cancer. This indicates that additional studies regarding this issue are necessary for the medical community to consider undertaking.
Question of the Day: Why aren't colon cancer survivors getting appropriate follow-up screening?photo link
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Breast MRI May Delay Treatment For Newly Diagnosed Patients
One of the most controversial preventive imaging scans that is being regularly discussed right now is the breast MRI. Some say that this is a tool that should be used regularly for certain populations whereas others say that there isn't enough proof that it's a scan that should be regularly implemented into a breast cancer prevention plan.
Adding
another voice to the ongoing debate about the breast MRI is one study which has found that those patients who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer and who choose to get a breast MRI to get additional information about the diagnosis may find that their treatment is delayed as a result which is generally considered to be a negative thing.
The first delay comes from the fact that the first breast MRI must be scheduled and then results awaited before treatment can begin. There may be a second delay due to additional testing often required because of the high false-positive rate of this exam. Some experts say that this delay causes problems in treatment whereas others might argue that the improved information from the breast MRI mitigates the problems caused by the delay.
Question of the Day: Is it a problem if the breast MRI delays treatment of recently-diagnosed breast cancer if the result is that the breast MRI will provide more accurate information about the disease than was obtained through a mammogram alone?photo link
Monday, September 08, 2008
Color Coding Improves Colonoscopy
The virtual colonoscopy is one of the most important preventive health screening exams available to patients today. It helps to identify the early stages of colon cancer in order to prevent the development of this devastating disease. It is also the most efficient and most comfortable type of colon cancer screening available.
And it may start to get even more effective in the near future if a color coding system is implemented into the regular use of the exam. It has been found that a fecal matter color-coding system can reduce the prep time for a patient going through this type of exam which makes the whole procedure easier on both the patient and the radiologist.
Basically, the majority of patients would prefer not to have to go through bowel cleansing prior to getting the virtual colonscopy completed because this is a somewhat uncomfortable procedure. However, patients' results aren't as good if they don't do so and not doing so also lengthens the interpretation of those results.
This new color coding method may help to correct this problem because it would get rid of the need for the bowel cleansing but still allow for easy interpretation of the results of the virtual colonoscopy. Learn more
here.
Question of the Day: Will color coding become a common part of the virtual colonoscopy procedure?photo link
Friday, September 05, 2008
Reducing Radiation in CT Scans for Kids
One of the biggest concerns that any patient has when it comes to the ues of medical imaging to prevent disease is that some types of imaging expose the patient to radiation. Doctors do all that they can to limit and monitor the use of radiation in medical imaging so that it remains at safe levels and doesn't cause harm to the patient. This means that doctors are regularly trying to scale back on the amount of radiation that they use while stil finding ways to improve the results of imaging for patients.
One set of patients where this concern is greatest is with children. Nobody wants to expose their child to radiation unnecessarily. Unfortunately, medical imaging is sometimes necessary for young patients. Luckily, doctors have been successful in reducing the amount of radiation exposure that kids undergoing certain types of scans will experience.
For example, a
new study has found that a large number of radiologists have significantly reduced the amount of radiation exposure in CT scans just in the past seven years. It was found in the past that total body CT scans of kids were being conducted at radiation rates set for results and that this wasn't necessary to get the best results for the patient. Since that time, radiologists have adjusted to using lower power settings for total body CT scans on children.
Question of the Day: Has concern about radiation ever caused you to choose not to get an important medical imaging exam?photo link
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Colon Cancer Screening Should Start at Age 50
It has long been said by medical imaging professionals that the average person should start getting regular screening for colon cancer upon reaching the age of 50. A
new study confirms that this is indeed the right age for most patients to begin getting their regular virtual colonoscopy exams in order to detect and treat colon cancer before it becomes a fatal problem.
The study found that the rate of pre-cancerous ployps increases significantly for the average person after the age of 50 as compared to prior to this age. These polyps may occur in a patient between the ages of 30 and 50 but they are much worse - and more life-threatening - at 50 so it is important for patients 50 and older not to delay getting colon cancer screening.
This doesn't necessarily means that 50 is the right age for everyone to get colon cancer screening. People with strong family histories of colon cancer and people who are at higher risk of the disease for other reasons may want to start getting screening at an earlier age. However, no patient should be waiting until much later than 50 to start getting colon cancer screening.
Question of the Day: Why is 50 the right age to start getting regular colon cancer screening?photo link
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Similarities and Differences Between MRI and FDG-PET/CT
There are many different options available to imaging doctors for the use of scans for determining different types of information about a patient. A new study indicates that there may be sometimes when it doesn't really matter if the doctor chooses to use an MRI scan or an FDG-PET/CT scan because the results are similar enough between them. There are other times, however, when it is important to choose the right scan because of the differences between the two types of imaging.
"FDG-PET/CT and MRI show similar diagnostic accuracies in differentiating between malignant and benign soft-tissue tumors, but offer different attributes when imaging for bone tumors." (source)
This means that doctors who are looking at soft-tissue tumors can choose to use either scan depending on the personal preferences of the doctor and / or the patient as well as the availability of the scanning technology. However, doctors that are looking at bone tumors are encouraged to make use of the MRI because it has a better predictive results history than the FDG-PET/CT does.
Question of the Day: Does it matter whether doctors use the MRI or FDG-PET/CT for soft-tissue tumors?photo link
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
PET Scan for Colon Cancer Patients
Anyone who is familiar with the basic screening recommended for all adults knows that colon cancer screening is considered highly important and that the main method used in the United States for completing this type of screening is the
virtual colonoscopy. What is just now emerging is that those patients who get screened and are found to have colon cancer can benefit greatly from the use of an additional scan, the PET scan, in guiding the treatment of the disease.
The information comes out of a study conducted in Australia which was designed to increase health care coveraeg for colon cancer patients who need PET scans to improve their prognosis. The study completed for this purpose found that those patients who received PET scan diagnosis in addition to the initial screening that found the colon cancer were patients who were significantly more likely to see successful treatment results.
The details of the study are available
here.
Question of the Day: What percentage of colon cancer patients should be using PET scan technology to aid their treatment?photo link
Monday, September 01, 2008
Heart MRI Safe For Pediatric Patients
Infants with congenital heart diseases can safely be monitored using cardiovascular MRI scans according to a
new study completed in Germany. The study confirmed that the use of the MRI scan to monitor these patients caused no problems or complications for the infants including those related to blood pressure and heart rate. This is important because it means that an important diagnostic tool previously believed to be potentially unsafe for these high-risk patients can now be used to assist in the treatment of problems for this population.
"The mean time for the imaging procedures was 110 minutes, with a range of plus or minus 27 minutes. The calculation covered the time from the patient's arrival through intubation and positioning, the imaging scan, and the return to the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit. The researchers reported that all exams were completed successfully with good image quality."
The majority of heart scans completed are actually CT scans. However there is a high radiation risk with CT scans which makes them undesirable for use with infants. The ability to use the MRI scan makes the process of monitoring these patients much safer.
Question of the Day: Will the MRI become a regular monitoring tool used for pediatric patients with congenital heart problems?photo link
