Intraoperative lymphatic mapping provides surgeons, oncologists and referring physicians with vital information about potential malignancy in the lymphatic system, especially that of sentinel lymph nodes—usually the first check point for the diasporas of metastatic cancer cells that drain from primary tumors. Patients have a better chance of avoiding the increased morbidity associated with extensive nodal dissection by undergoing a biopsy of the sentinel lymph nodes most likely to contain metastatic disease.

Prostate cancer patients with advanced tumors that have spread to bone have a poor prognosis; men with castrate-resistant prostate cancer generally live three to five years after diagnosis.

The days of the clinical exam leading the way in evaluating Parkinson’s disease are on the way out. A better understanding of how to use imaging has led to advances in diagnosing and monitoring the condition, and may hold the key to evaluating effective treatment.

The PET Response Criteria in Solid Tumors (PERCIST), published in May 2009 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine, were developed with a lofty goal: to shift PET from the qualitative imaging realm to a quantitative assessment of response to cancer treatment.

PET/MR is slowly carving out a space with an increasing number of major institutions across the globe taking advantage of the hybrid system for a widening range of research applications.

In a review of available PET imaging biomarkers that focus on cellular proliferation as an important key to cancer detection and therapy monitoring, F-18 FLT stood out as a game-changer for its ability to hone in on processes specific to cancer growth. However, in many studies, tracer uptake was underwhelming when compared to standard FDG, according to a scientific paper published May 14 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Developers of the first FDA-approved imaging agent for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, Eli Lily and Company and Avid Pharmaceuticals, held a conference call May 16 for stakeholders and members of the media to discuss the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Service's (CMS) upcoming draft decision regarding coverage for Amyvid and other beta-amyloid type diagnostic agents.

The gold standard for the detection of bone marrow invasion of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is bone marrow biopsy. Researchers investigated a new approach with F-18 FDG PET/CT imaging to determine its efficacy and predictive value. The latter was found superior to biopsy in not only its sensitivity and accuracy, but also its ability to predict progression-free survival, according to a study published online May 14 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.