Oncology Imaging

Medical imaging has become integral to cancer care, assessing the stage and location of cancerous tumors. By utilizing powerful imaging modalities including CT, MRI, MRA and PET/CT, oncology imaging radiologists are able to assist referring physicians in the detection and diagnosis of cancer.

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ASTRO: Proposed radiation oncology APM can improve patient care

CMS revealed details for their newly proposed alternative payment model for radiation oncology on July 10. The American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) believes the model, with adjustments, "will incentivize higher quality, more convenient radiation treatments for patients and support their journey toward a cure."

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Why do some patients decline DBT for breast cancer screening?

Breast cancer screening using digital breast tomosynthesis has risen rapidly in the United States, but that isn’t the case in all regions or across all institutions, according to a new study published in Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology.

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DBT rapidly rising despite lack of clinical evidence, industry agreement

Although most studies demonstrating the benefits of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) have been observational, use of the modality has risen dramatically over the past few years, according to a study of more than nine million women published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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Risk vs age: Which mammography screening method is better?

Proponents of risk-based mammography screening claim the method successfully emphasizes its benefits and minimizes its harms, but new research has found it may not be as effective as age-based screening.

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Combined MRI, US-guided biopsy detects more prostate cancers

Combining MRI and ultrasound (US) detected up to 33% more cancers than standard biopsy methods alone, according to new research published in JAMA Surgery.

Mammography clinics usher in the age of ‘mammoglam’

Mammography clinics are getting creative these days in an effort  to make breast screening a little more appealing. Massage chairs and goody bags are only a few of the ways imaging providers are trying to make the experience more positive.

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ASTRO voices support for new prior authorization legislation

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is championing bipartisan legislation introduced Wednesday, June 5, that would reduce prior authorization practices found to delay patient access to necessary cancer treatments.

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State’s first to embrace Medicaid expansion saw gains in colorectal cancer screening

If the non-expansion states had seen the same increases in CRC screening, another 355,184 people would have been screened, according to authors of a recent study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.

Around the web

Positron, a New York-based nuclear imaging company, will now provide Upbeat Cardiology Solutions with advanced PET/CT systems and services. 

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.