Advanced Radiation Therapy (ART), manufacturer of the AccuBoost System for radiation therapy of partial breast, and Elekta have executed an agreement whereby ART acquires the assets of all AccuBoost installations held by Elekta, its worldwide distribution partner.

An imaging system enclosed in a pill-sized capsule may soon provide a method to screen patients for Barrett’s esophagus, according to a report published online Jan. 13 in Nature Medicine. Researchers at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston said the system, which creates detailed, microscopic images of the esophageal wall, has several advantages over traditional endoscopy.

A molecular-targeted imaging method has depicted lymph node metastases intraoperatively in mice. In addition to providing real-time, accurate information about lymph node status, this pathology technique could set the stage for shorter operating room time and reduce unnecessary removal of healthy lymph nodes, according to the researchers whose findings will be published Jan. 15 in Cancer Research.

Most individuals with a life expectancy less than three to five years should bypass screening mammography and fecal occult blood testing, researchers reported in a study published Jan. 8 in British Medical Journal. However, the authors stressed the results should not be used to deny screening for individuals with limited life expectancy.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) has issued lung cancer screening guidelines and recommends clinicians discuss CT screening with patients who fit the profile of individuals screened in the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST). The ACS did not issue a blanket recommendation for screening, and instead stressed shared decision making and the critical role of high-volume, high-access screening centers. 

Annual CT or PET/CT surveillance of patients with certain eye cancers increases estimated lifetime attributable risk of imaging-associated cancer between 0.9 percent and 7.9 percent, depending on patient characteristics, according to a study published in the January issue of JAMA Ophthalmology.

The FDA has given 510(k) clearance to Riverain Technologies’ ClearRead +Confirm software, which is designed to improve chest x-ray clarity and aid in proper placement of tubes, lines and wires.

The University of Southern California’s (USC) Keck Medical Center in Los Angeles has installed two Aplio 500 ultrasound systems and a Viamo ultrasound system from Toshiba America Medical Systems.