Dear AuntMinnie Member,
A new study has found that some smokers have a surprising reaction to CT lung cancer screening -- they keep right on smoking.
A group from Washington wanted to explore whether the availability of CT lung cancer screening changed the attitudes of smokers toward kicking the habit. It's an important question, as smoking cessation has been mentioned as a key component of any CT lung screening program.
However, nearly half of the smokers surveyed said the availability of screening actually made them less likely to quit. Part of the thinking seemed to be that a clean bill of health from a screening exam meant they had a lower risk of lung cancer -- and therefore could keep smoking. Learn more about this surprising study by clicking here.
In other CT news, researchers have found that CT radiation dose alerts -- which are now required in the U.S. -- are of limited usefulness. But they may be better than nothing, according to an article you can read by clicking here.
New PEM system
A group from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, is evaluating a new positron emission mammography (PEM) system that could put new diagnostic capabilities in the hands of breast radiologists.
The Mammi system is a table-based unit with two rings of PET detectors. The system is dedicated to breast imaging, with higher spatial resolution and lower radiation dose than a whole-body PET system.
The researchers from Mayo are putting the system through its paces, and they found that in some cases it was able to detect breast cancers that escaped detection with a conventional PET/CT scanner. The unit is being commercialized by a Spanish company called OncoVision; deliveries have just started in the U.S.
Learn more about it by clicking here, or visit our Molecular Imaging Community at molecular.auntminnie.com.
1 week left for Minnies nominations
If you haven't nominated anyone for a Minnies award, this is your last week to do so! The nominations phase will draw to a close at the end of the week, so be sure to get to minnies.auntminnie.com to tell us who you think should be a candidate for one of radiology's highest honors.
