Florida cancer center to use Definiens lung tumor analysis product

The H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa, Fla., will utilize Definiens technology in the analysis of lung cancer CT images for the purpose of developing more accurate prognosis and prediction models for response to specific lung cancer therapies.

Image features extracted with Definiens technology will be compared with disease outcomes, as well as gene expression data available through Total Cancer Care, Moffitt's approach to cancer that enables researchers and caregivers to identify the needs of a patient and their family during the patient's lifetime and for future generations, according to the Munich, Germany-based Definiens.

Moffitt will employ a lung tumor analysis research application developed by Definiens to identify, segment and analyze lung tumors from CT and PET/CT fused images, the company said. The application will also allow the researchers to measure lung nodule volume, surface-to-volume, attenuation gradient at the edges, shape features, texture and homogeneity measures, as well as tracking tumors' volumetric changes over time. 

Following the release of the Definiens LymphExpert application for the analysis of lymph nodes, Definiens is developing image analysis applications for a variety of cancer types, addressing lung and liver tumors as next steps. Definiens said its medical imaging applications are built upon its proprietary Definiens Cognition Network Technology, an image analysis technology that examines objects in relation to one another and emulates human cognitive processes to extract intelligence from images.

As part of the research engagement, Moffitt scientists will also use Definiens TissueMap and Definiens Developer for tissue-based image analysis.

Around the web

RBMA President Peter Moffatt discusses declining reimbursement rates, recruiting challenges and the role of artificial intelligence in transforming the industry.

Deepak Bhatt, MD, director of the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital and principal investigator of the TRANSFORM trial, explains an emerging technique for cardiac screening: combining coronary CT angiography with artificial intelligence for plaque analysis to create an approach similar to mammography.

A total of 16 cardiology practices from 12 states settled with the DOJ to resolve allegations they overbilled Medicare for imaging agents used to diagnose cardiovascular disease.