U.S. radiation oncology facilities are increasingly adopting state-of-the-art radiation treatment techniques, according to a recent study published by market research and consulting firm IMV Medical Information Division. For example, conformal therapy is now provided by 76% of sites that perform external-beam radiation therapy, up from 37% of facilities in 1998, according to the Des Plaines, IL-based company.
Along with the adoption of advanced clinical techniques, radiation oncology sites are also increasing their use of electronic networks to send and receive digital images used in treatment planning, IMV said. Of the surveyed institutions, 60% utilized electronic networks, compared with 24% in 1998.
Nearly all of the sites use CT images in their treatment plans, while 40% use MRI images, IMV said. The IMV census profiles 1,547 sites, which represents over 80% of the 1,861 identified facilities performing external-beam radiation therapy treatments in the U.S.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writersApril 30, 2003
Related Reading
PET procedures surge 70%, April 23, 2003
AuntMinnie's IMV MarketStat #19: Clinical PET procedure mix, April 16, 2003
Multislice CT adoption on the upswing, June 13, 2002
Copyright © 2003 AuntMinnie.com
