Topic

Colorectal Cancer


USPSTF urged to reconsider CTC recommendations

Industry News | Wednesday, September 01 2010
The CT Colonography (CTC) Coalition has called on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) to reconsider its recommendation regarding virtual colorectal cancer screening, following the statement issued by the task force maintaining that further research is still required to make a conclusive recommendation regarding CTC.
 

GE, Immunomedics collaborate on F-18 peptide labeling

Partnerships & Alliances | Thursday, August 19 2010
Immunomedics and GE Healthcare have entered into a license and collaboration agreement for the evaluation of labeling technologies based on Immunomedics' patented F-18 peptide labeling method.
 

JNCI: CTC is not cost-effective at current reimbursement rates

Top Stories | Wednesday, July 28 2010
CT colonography (CTC), or virtual colonoscopy, is not cost-effective if reimbursed at the same rate as colonoscopy, based on a study published online July 27 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. However, the accompanying editorial noted that cost-effectiveness analyses are useful, but that they often cannot include some important considerations.
 

AJR: Lack of insurance coverage could prohibit wider CTC screening

Top Stories | Wednesday, July 21 2010
Patients who have previously refused colorectal cancer screening are willing to undergo CT colonography (CTC), or virtual colonoscopy, but are not willing to pay for the exam themselves when not covered by insurance, according to a study in the August issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.
 

HHS to require insurers to cover cancer screenings

Top Stories | Friday, July 16 2010
New health insurance plans or insurance policies beginning on or after Sept. 23 will be required to cover, without cost sharing, several recommended preventive healthcare services--including breast cancer screening--under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
 

Study: Surveillance colonoscopy beneficial for high-risk patients

Clinical Studies | Tuesday, June 22 2010
Surveillance colonoscopy is cost-effective for patients at high risk for developing colorectal cancer, but aggressive surveillance is costly and less effective for low-risk patients, according to a study published online June 21 in Gastroenterology.
 

ASCO: Preoperative therapy responses in pancreatic cancer may predict survival

Conference News | Friday, June 04 2010
Major pathologic response to preoperative chemotherapy and radiation occurs in a minority of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma and is independently associated with prolonged survival, according to a study presented at the 46th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) on June 6 in Chicago.
 

Radiology: Polyp size is critical biomarker for CTC screening, diagnosis

Portal Exclusives | Thursday, June 03 2010
Until the development of biomarkers indicative of histology, polyp size will continue to be the most important biomarker for determining management of colonic polyps found at screening and diagnostic CT colonography (CTC), according to a review in this month’s Radiology.
 

JNM: Non-laxative PET/CTC might be particularly beneficial for elderly

Portal Exclusives | Thursday, June 03 2010
PET combined with CT colonography (CTC) may provide a suitable alternative for detecting polyps and cancer in the colon, and the lack of bowel prep might be particularly beneficial in the elderly population, a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine shows.
 

ACR to Congress: Pass CT colonography bill for CMS coverage

Top Stories | Wednesday, June 02 2010
The American College of Radiology (ACR) is urging Congress to pass the Virtual Screening for Colorectal Cancer Act of 2010 (H.R. 5461) which would require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide coverage of screening CT colonography, or virtual colonoscopy, to Medicare beneficiaries.
 

NEJM: Adenoma detection rates may predict interval colorectal cancer

Clinical Studies | Friday, May 14 2010
The adenomatous lesion detection rate is an independent predictor of the risk of interval colorectal cancer after screening colonoscopy, according to the findings of a recent study published in the May edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
 

AARS: PET/CT detects recurrence in colorectal cancer

Conference News | Wednesday, May 05 2010
The use of combined PET/CT can confirm a suspected colorectal cancer recurrence at an early stage, helping significantly in treatment planning and improved targeted patient care, according to a study presented May 5 at the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) annual meeting in San Diego.
 

Limited-prep virtual colonoscopy suitable for the frail and elderly

Portal Exclusives | Wednesday, May 05 2010
Limited-preparation, low-dose CT colonography is a useful minimally invasive option to evaluate the colon of elderly patients who are medically unfit or unsuitable for colonoscopy, according to a study published in the May issue of the American Journal of  Roentgenology.
 

JAMA: Imaging costs rise for cancer patients, but still comparatively small

Top Stories | Monday, April 26 2010
Based on a study in the April 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the use of diagnostic imaging studies in cancer patients covered by Medicare is growing--with the use of PET imaging most significantly increasing--and costs for this patient population are growing at twice the rate of the overall costs of cancer care. However, while imaging costs are increasing, as of 2006 these costs still made up less than 6 percent of the overall healthcare costs for cancer patients, the study's lead author Michaela A. Dinan, BS, said in an interview.
 

FDA approves Hybridyne's gamma camera for endocavity imaging

Regulatory News | Thursday, April 15 2010
Hybridyne Imaging Technologies in Toronto has received FDA 510(k) clearance to market ProxiScan, a gamma camera for the detection of cancer and other abnormalities in the body.
 

Radiology: VC finds cancers outside colon in asymptomatic patients

Portal Exclusives | Thursday, April 08 2010
A study in the April issue of Radiology has found that one out of every 200 asymptomatic people who have been screened with virtual colonoscopy has a clinically unsuspected malignant cancer, and that half of those cancers were located outside of the colon.
 

Study: Colon cancer disparities point to healthcare utilization, not biology

Top Stories | Wednesday, April 07 2010
A lower follow-up exam rate for screen-detected colorectal abnormalities was noted among African-American individuals when compared with Caucasian individuals, and healthcare utilization may be to blame instead of biology in regard to the colorectal cancer racial disparity, according to a study published online this month in the Journal of National Cancer Institute.
 

Radiology: Virtual colonoscopy safe, beneficial for patients with metallic stents

Portal Exclusives | Thursday, March 04 2010
The use of CT colonography is useful—and safe—for a preoperative exam of the proximal colon in patients who have been treated with metallic stents due to colon obstruction caused by colorectal cancer, according to a study published in the March issue of Radiology.
 

News & Views

Departments | Tuesday, March 02 2010
Written by Staff Report
CTC safe & effective for elderly
CT colonography (CTC), or virtual colonoscopy, is a safe and effective screening modality for the older patient population in the screening of colorectal cancer, according to a retrospective analysis published in the February issue of Radiology.
 

STM: Personalized biomarkers from tumor DNA can help in cancer management

Clinical Studies | Wednesday, February 24 2010
A new technique called personalized analysis of rearranged ends provides an accurate and specific way to monitor tumors by identifying personalized biomarkers from tumor DNA, according to a study published in the Feb. 24 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
 
Web Exclusives

Feature: U.S. needs national strategy to curb imaging overutilization

Medical imaging overutilization--a growing concern in the U.S.--exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, while also adding to rising healthcare costs, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Radiology. In an interview, William R. Hendee, PhD, lead author, reviewed various methods by which medical imaging could be curtailed.

Radiology: Prelim study shows CE breast CT outperforms CT, mammo

Dedicated contrast-enhanced (CE) breast CT delivered significantly improved conspicuity of malignant breast lesions, including ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), compared with unenhanced breast CT and mammography, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology.

Radiology: Rad role may evolve as image-guided biopsies trend up

CT, ultrasound and MRI have helped shift biopsy techniques away from more invasive approaches toward image-guided percutaneous techniques, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology. The trend toward less-invasive approaches translates into enhanced safety and efficiency and could lead to more interaction between patients and radiologists.

CMS Webinar: Incentive payments to offset EHR adoption, not reimburse

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) EHR incentive payments are not considered reimbursement for money expended on EHR technology, but are intended to offset the cost associated with adoption and ongoing meaningful use, according to CMS during an Aug. 12 webinar.

CMS webinar: Eligible professionals can expect EHR incentives in 2011

Funding incentives for EHR use is the main goal of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) meaningful use initiative, and there are incentive programs for both hospitals and eligible professionals, according to Elizabeth Holland, health insurance specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services, who spoke during a CMS-sponsored webinar Aug. 8.

Webinar: Stage 1 of meaningful use is for quality reporting acclimation

Stage 1 requirements for meaningful use incentives aim to strike a balance between the overall goal of EHR use and widespread adoption, while avoiding added work, said Jonathan Teich, MD, PhD, chief medical informatics officer at Elsevier Health Services, during a HIMSS webinar titled “Meaningful Use: Safety and Quality of Care.”

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