Cedara Software (a Merge Healthcare company) is showcasing additions to its OncologyWorks product line aimed to facilitate the handling and processing of image data in oncology at the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) conference in Philadelphia this week. These technologies include several works-in-progress technologies such as one for deformable registration of PET/CT images, rigid registration for SPECT/CT lung registration, rigid registration for SPECT/MR brain registration, and web-based RT contouring.

"From an engineering standpoint, image registration represents an advanced capability for many healthcare companies," said Peter Bascom, vice president of engineering at Cedara. "Registration requires a significant technical and clinical investment. Unlike standard mutual information-based registration for instance, the approach to deformable registration we are showcasing doesn't present a one size fits all approach -- a variety of different rules, algorithms and biomechanical knowledge need to be used when aligning different anatomical areas. From a technical standpoint this makes it difficult to develop a comprehensive registration solution that covers all modalities and areas of the body."

Cedara also is showcasing progress in its web-based system for radiation therapy contouring, including the work-in-progress Cedara I-Contour; an oncology therapy response assessment technology incorporating Functional Diffusion Mapping (fDM) called Cedara I-Response, also a work-in-progress; archive support for DICOM RT data; segmentation technologies; and tools for clinical trials.