Rectal cancer patients who receive a new combination of chemotherapy combined with five weeks of radiation before surgery have an 88 percent chance of surviving the cancer three years after treatment, according to the results of a trial to be presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in Miami, Oct. 2-6.

High unemployment, increasing enrollment in Medicaid and an otherwise dismal economy have affected the medical technology market, according to a recently released Ernst & Young report, Pulse of the industry: Medical technology report 2010. With uncertainties ahead, the authors write, many hospitals are holding onto their dollars.

Men with localized prostate cancer who receive intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) have fewer side effects and receive a lower dose of radiation to the bladder and rectum compared with those who undergo basic 3D conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT), according to a study to be presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in Miami, Oct. 2-6.

The ASRT Education and Research Foundation and Varian Medical Systems have formed a six-year agreement to fund up to 19 scholarships of $5,000 each per year to radiation therapy and medical dosimetry professionals.

Nuance Communications, a Burlington, Mass.-based company specializing in speech-enabled clinical documentation, has developed a technology called CLU (Clinical Language Understanding).

Negative appendectomy rates can be decreased with the use of preoperative CT in adult men and women, according to a study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. While preoperative CT has been used commonly to reduce the number of negative appendectomies, research has been split over whether or not both sexes benefit from the procedure.

The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation Center has set in motion its new initiative, the Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) effort, a multi-payor initiative fostering collaboration between public and private healthcare payors for primary care. The Innovation Center now is accepting letters of intent from public and private healthcare payors for the initiative.

Health Imaging, AHRA and Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA) are seeking to recognize five practices with a $1,000 cash award for Best Practices in Radiology Quality and Economics.