After breast-conserving surgery, radiation therapy cut the rate of breast cancer recurrence in half and reduced the breast cancer death rate by one-sixth, according to a meta-analysis published online Oct. 20 in The Lancet.

Boston University School of Medicine has received a $13.6 million grant to be the lead institution in a study aimed at developing technologies for the early detection of lung cancer. The five-year multi-site, multi-phase study that will focus on active military personnel and veterans is funded by the U. S. Department of Defense Lung Cancer Research Program.

Gary Glazer, MD, former chair of the Stanford University School of Medicine department of radiology and a pioneering leader in the profession, died on Oct. 16 at Stanford Hospital after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 61.

The Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has named The Joint Commission deeming authority for accreditation of critical access hospitals, meaning they can meet requirements for reimbursement by the CMS.

Areva's nuclear medicine subsidiary, Areva Med, has acquired Macrocyclics for an undisclosed sum.

The FDAs MedWatch program, established in 1993, allows physicians, nurses or patients to report an adverse event associated with an approved device or drug. Not only does the program evaluate and generate information based on the reports, but it also makes that information available to providers, manufacturers and the public, explained Brenda J. Rose, pharmaceutical director, Office of Special Health Issues, FDA, during an Oct. 20 FDA webinar.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto will open the doors to its new Research Imaging Centre, where PET, MRI and genetic imaging will be focused on the study of addictions and mental illness.

Neoprobes New Drug Application for Lymphoseek (tilmanocept), which was submitted on Aug. 10, has been accepted for review by the FDA.