While the net income for the overall Philips Group was EUR76 million ($99.19 million U.S.) more than the previous year’s third quarter, the healthcare sector also had strong earnings. Philips Healthcare posted earnings before interest, taxes and amortization in the 2012 third quarter of EUR330 million ($429.25 million U.S.), compared with EUR261 million ($339.5 million U.S.) in Q3 2011.

Researchers have developed a CT technique that can produce 3D images of the breast at a radiation dose lower than mammography, according to an article published Oct. 22 in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The American College of Radiology should revise its Appropriateness Criteria and recommend ultrasound as the primary imaging modality for diagnostic evaluation of women between 30 and 39 years of age who present with focal signs and symptoms of breast cancer, according to a study published Oct. 22 in American Journal of Roentgenology.

The newest generation of mobile x-ray units is smaller, sleeker and more mobile than past generations, and the technology is increasing demand and mobile volumes in multiple areas of the hospital, according to a report from healthcare research firm KLAS.

Lantheus Medical Imaging has extended its contract with Nordion to supply molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) for use in its TechneLite Technetium Tc 99m Generator generators.

Oncology imaging is in a state of upheaval. Consider lung cancer screening. Early adopters, including the Veterans Affairs, are moving ahead with CT lung cancer screening. Yet, as the wheels of reimbursement inch forward, it seems apparent we are mired in muck.

Eli Lilly and Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lilly, have received a positive opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) in Europe, recommending approval of Amyvid (Florbetapir F-18) solution for injection as a diagnostic radiopharmaceutical indicated for PET imaging of beta-amyloid neuritic plaque density in the brains of adult patients with cognitive impairment who are being evaluated for Alzheimer's disease and other causes of cognitive impairment. Amyvid should be used in conjunction with a clinical evaluation.

A molecular analysis of breast cancers defined four primary breast cancer classes, and indicated that one subtype is genetically more similar to ovarian tumors than other breast cancers, according to a study published online Sept. 23 in Nature. The findings may facilitate the comparison of therapeutic data for subtypes of breast and ovarian cancers.