Industry News

Industry News     CT Angiography Proves to be an Effective Diagnostic Tool for Chest Pain     Nearly six million people visit the emergency room for chest pain each year in the United States, and somewhere between four to 13 percent of those patients are misdiagnosed and sent home when, in fact, they had suffered a heart attack. CT angiography, better known simply as a CT scan, is a rapid diagnostic tool that has shown to be a more efficient diagnostic tool when it comes to locating blocked arteries in patients complaining of chest pain. In fact, a CT scan is as safe as other diagnostic techniques, such as electrocardiograms and resting stress tests, and is often faster and less expensive, according to a recent American Heart Association scientific meeting. In fact, a recent study conducted at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan followed 701 patients and found that CT scans, in general, take about half the time to complete as other diagnostic techniques and shave off nearly 40 percent of the cost of making the diagnosis. Many times, doctors use electrocardiograms and resting stress tests, combined with nuclear imaging, to diagnose blocked arteries. Both of these tests take time and many times fail to provide a definitive diagnosis, says lead author of the study, Kavitha Chinnaiyan. The researchers of the study, with this knowledge in mind, began to try CT angiography, which takes multiple x-rays of the coronary arteries. The result: quicker diagnoses of blocked coronary arteries. Recent CT Study Fails to Recognize Benefits    December 15, 2009 A recent study reported that the radiation exposure from CT scans may lead to a higher risk of cancer in some people. Many radiologists, as a result, are worried that this newest study in the Archives of Internal Medicine may deter some patients from receiving this important diagnostic tool. CT scans provide doctors with a clear view of the inside of the body, and are often much more helpful than traditional x-rays, yet they do involve a much higher amount of radiation dose than conventional x-rays. However, according to an article in Reuters, many radiology specialists have emphasized that the chances of an individual getting cancer from a single CT scan is still very low. Because CT scans are often an excellent tool for detecting such serious health conditions as tumors and heart disease, it is clear to many radiologists and doctors that the advantages of CT scans clearly outweigh the risks. In fact, the American College of Radiology, which is a group of nearly 34,000 doctors specializing in radiology, recently stated that: “No published studies show that radiation from imaging exams causes cancer.“ They went onto say that: “Most CT is performed in controlled settings and results in limited radiation exposure to a small portion of the body.” The use of CT scans have increased greatly in America, increasing from about three million scans in 1980 to nearly 70 million scans in 2007.

American Heart Association Endorses Calcium Scores   December 28, 2009 Calcium scores, which have often been identified by many doctors as effective screening tools for coronary heart disease, are now endorsed by the American Heart Association. CT scans are often a useful screening tool for detecting the presence of calcium deposits in the lining of the coronary arteries, and the multi-slice CT scans (West Mifflin Imaging employs a 64-slice CT scanner – often recognized as a leader in the industry) have been useful in detecting discrete blockages in coronary arteries. However, the American Heart Association (AHA), as well as the federal government, has been hesitant to endorse calcium scores because there has simply been a lack of data proving their worth in detecting coronary heart disease. However, an American Heart Association writing group recently announced that it recommends CT scans for detecting calcium deposits in the coronary arteries of those individuals who are at an increased risk of coronary heart disease. Many experts in the field of CT expect that the AHA will continue its endorsement of calcium scores as technology improves and clinical trials are completed.

American Cancer Society Responds to Changes in USPSTF Mammography Guidelines

As it appears on the American Cancer Society’s website: www.cancer.org November 16, 2009 The United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) today announced that it is changing its guidelines for mammography and no longer recommends routine screening for women between the ages of 40 and 49. Below is a statement from Otis W. Brawley, M.D., chief medical officer, American Cancer Society. “The American Cancer Society continues to recommend annual screening using mammography and clinical breast examination for all women beginning at age 40. Our experts make this recommendation having reviewed virtually all the same data reviewed by the USPSTF, but also additional data that the USPSTF did not consider. When recommendations are based on judgments about the balance of risks and benefits, reasonable experts can look at the same data and reach different conclusions.  “In 2003, an expert panel convened by the American Cancer Society conducted an extensive review of the data available at the time, which was not substantially different from the data included in the current USPSTF review. Like the USPSTF, the Society’s panel found convincing evidence that screening with mammography reduces breast cancer mortality in women ages 40-74, with age-specific benefits varying depending on the results of individual trials and which trials were combined in meta-analyses. And like the USPSTF, the American Cancer Society panel also found that mammography has limitations – some women who are screened will have false alarms; some cancers will be missed; and some women will undergo unnecessary treatment. These limitations are somewhat greater in women in their forties compared with women in their fifties, and somewhat greater in women in their fifties compared with women in their sixties. We specifically noted that the overall effectiveness of mammography increases with increasing age. But the limitations do not change the fact that breast cancer screening using mammography starting at age 40 saves lives. “As someone who has long been a critic of those overstating the benefits of screening, I use these words advisedly: this is one screening test I recommend unequivocally, and would recommend to any woman 40 and over, be she a patient, a stranger, or a family member.  “The USPSTF says that screening 1,339 women in their 50s to save one life makes screening worthwhile in that age group. Yet USPSTF also says screening 1,904 women ages 40 to 49 in order to save one life is not worthwhile. The American Cancer Society feels that in both cases, the lifesaving benefits of screening outweigh any potential harms. Surveys of women show that they are aware of these limitations, and also place high value on detecting breast cancer early. “With its new recommendations, the USPSTF is essentially telling women that mammography at age 40 to 49 saves lives; just not enough of them. The task force says screening women in their 40s would reduce their risk of death from breast cancer by 15 percent, just as it does for women in their 50s. But because women in their 40s are at lower risk of the disease than women 50 and above, the USPSTF says the actual number of lives saved is not enough to recommend widespread screening. The most recent data show us that approximately 17 percent of breast cancer deaths occurred in women who were diagnosed in their 40s, and 22 percent occurred in women diagnosed in their 50s. Breast cancer is a serious health problem facing adult women, and mammography is part of our solution beginning at age 40 for average risk women. “The American Cancer Society acknowledges the limitations of mammography, and we remain committed to finding better tests, and currently are funding a large study to improve the accuracy of mammography. In fact, data show the technology used today is better than that used in the studies in this review, and more modern studies show that mammography is achieving better results than those achieved in these early experimental studies that go back as far as the mid-60’s. And as scientists work to make mammography even more effective, the American Cancer Society’s medical staff and volunteer experts overwhelmingly believe the benefits of screening women aged 40 to 49 outweigh its limitations.” The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing about $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.