Dear Molecular Imaging Insider,
There is more evidence coming from Down Under that FDG-PET continues to significantly influence treatment plans for cancer patients. The latest round of data comes from the Australian PET Data Collection Project on patients with glioma.
At last week's annual SNM meeting, Dr. Michael Fulham provided results from a three-site study demonstrating that treatment management plans changed in 37 of 82 patients after FDG-PET scans. More details are available in this Molecular Imaging Insider Exclusive.
Also at the annual conference, outgoing SNM president Dr. Alexander McEwan and incoming SNM president Robert Atcher, Ph.D., discussed the society's accomplishments over the last year and its initiatives for the next 12 months. Click here to read how the society plans to target regulatory, reimbursement, and research issues as its priorities.
While the possibilities are almost limitless for molecular imaging over the next 20 years, there remain many hurdles to overcome along that path of progress. Dr. Richard Wahl, director of nuclear medicine at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, delivered the opening keynote address at SNM 2008 with his perspectives on the future of molecular imaging and how it can help fight epidemics such as obesity and diabetes.
Of course, the annual SNM conference would not be complete without Dr. Henry Wagner's choice for Image of the Year. The former SNM president and current professor at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health selected two images that exemplify the versatility of hybrid imaging and molecular imaging's prowess.
Last, but certainly not least, read about a novel handheld gamma camera developed by French researchers. The POCI (preoperative compact imager) is designed to perform lymphoscintigraphy for sentinel lymph node localization in breast cancer, and already has been utilized successfully in the clinical setting.
Until next time, stay in touch with the Molecular Imaging Digital Community as more cutting-edge technology and research reports are featured.
