Molecular Imaging

Molecular imaging (also called nuclear medicine or nuclear imaging) can image the function of cells inside the body at the molecular level. This includes the imaging modalities of positron emission computed tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. How does PET and SPECT imaging work? Small amounts of radioactive material (radiopharmaceuticals) injected into a patient. These can use sugars or chemical traits to bond to specific cells. The radioactive material is taken up by cells that consume the sugars. The radiation emitted from inside the body is detected by photon detectors outside the body. Computers take the data to assemble images of the radiation emissions. Nuclear images may appear fuzzy or ghostly rather than the sharper resolution from MRI and CT.  But, it provides metabolic information at a cellular level, showing if there are defects in the function of the heart, areas of very high metabolic activity associated with cancer cells, or areas of inflammation, data not available from other modalities. These noninvasive imaging exams are used to diagnose cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, bone disorders and other disorders. 

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Y-90 microspheres extend survival in 50 percent of metastatic colorectal cancer patients

Salvage patients, those with colorectal metastases to the liver who do not to respond to both first and second lines of treatment, are responding significantly to radioembolization with Y-90 microspheres. The dual-action treatment has been shown to lead to more than 12 months of overall survival, according to a study published Nov. 1 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

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Celebrating International Day of Radiology

It is International Day of Radiology Nov. 8 and radiological societies and institutions around the world are commemorating historical benchmarks and technological advancements in the field.

Fluorine-labeled bombesin PET agent a winner for prostate cancer imaging

In a comparison of gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) bombesin analogs, F-18 aluminum flouride-labeled NODAGA-RM1 showed the most promise for PET imaging of prostate cancer, according to a study published online Nov. 6 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Being bilingual could delay onset of dementia

People fluent in two languages may be warding off the cognitive decline associated with dementia for up to six years longer than single-language speakers, according to a study published online Nov. 6 in Neurology.

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PQRS: Play Now or Pay Later

Human nature being what it is, physician participation in Medicare’s Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) will likely accelerate as the agency phases incentives out and penalties in. The effect may prove especially conspicuous since the bonuses have been voluntary and modest. By contrast, the forfeitures will be automatic and, if paired with other pay-for-performance requirements, impossible to ignore.

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The Year in Images 2013

Each year, a few images emerge from the masses as the most striking portraits of the newest molecular imaging research.

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Tau Imaging Takes the Stage

Tao is making headlines. The journal Neuron recently published a clinical study heralding a viable tau PET agent. Co-author Makoto Higuchi from the Molecular Imaging Center of the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Chiba, Japan, provided us with an exclusive look into this game-changer that will no doubt inform new formulas for dementia imaging.

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Fingerprinting Cancer: How Radiomics and Genomics Are Mapping Tumor Heterogeneity Using ‘Big Data’ to Track Killer Habitats

Cancer is often characterized as a serial murderer that needs to be struck down with brute force. But what researchers are slowly coming to understand is that this idea might actually make individual cancers stronger.

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