Dear AuntMinnie Member,
In November 2010, results from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) were published showing that CT lung cancer screening reduced lung cancer deaths by 20% for high-risk individuals. Seven years later, radiologists and clinicians continue to fine-tune screening.
Witness several stories we're highlighting this week in our CT Community. First up is an analysis of data from the Dutch-Belgian lung screening trial to help determine which suspicious nodules deserve further workup. If more nodules are found in a patient, that's probably a sign that something's malignant, right? Maybe not -- learn more by clicking here.
Next is a story on new guidelines issued by chest physicians regarding which individuals should be eligible for screening. They largely hew to the NLST criteria by focusing on high-risk individuals, but the guidelines still warrant a closer look. See for yourself by clicking here. Get these stories and more in our CT Community at ct.auntminnie.com.
Deep learning for CT liver masses
CT finds plenty of suspicious structures outside the chest as well -- how should they be worked up? Japanese researchers wanted to see how successful a deep-learning algorithm they developed was in classifying liver masses, some of which could turn out to be malignant tumors.
The group developed an algorithm based on convolutional neural networks that classified liver masses into five categories, from cysts to classic hepatocellular carcinoma. Find out how well it performed by clicking here, or visit our Artificial Intelligence Community at ai.auntminnie.com.
Elastography cost
Finally, visit our Ultrasound Community for an article that examines whether one of the most exciting new technologies in ultrasound -- elastography -- is worth the extra expense. Researchers from Emory University analyzed their experience with elastography, specifically focusing on the percent of studies that were reimbursed by payors. Find out what they discovered by clicking here, or visit the community at ultrasound.auntminnie.com.
