Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Computer-aided detection (CAD) software helped radiologists find signs of lung cancer that had been missed in digital x-ray images on initial interpretation, according to a study we're featuring this week in our Digital X-Ray Community.
Researchers from the University of Maryland in Baltimore used CAD to analyze digital chest exams that contained cancerous lesions that had been overlooked on initial review, according to an article by staff writer Cynthia E. Keen. They found that CAD was able to identify almost half of the missed lesions, although the number of false positives per case was on the high side.
The study offers further evidence of CAD's utility in digital x-ray chest exams, an application that has yet to catch on like CAD for mammography. Learn more by clicking here, or visit the Digital X-Ray Community at xray.auntminnie.com.
VA brachytherapy scandal
In other news, the health system of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is in the headlines again ... and once again for the wrong reasons. A recent newspaper article claimed to uncover evidence that a radiation oncology unit at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center performed dozens of botched prostate cancer brachytherapy procedures.
The story claims that physicians in the unit placed brachytherapy seeds in healthy organs rather than diseased tissue, and also used brachytherapy seeds at lower-than-required dosages. What's more, the unit escaped regulatory oversight for years, according to the story.
The news comes just months after another controversy over the improper sterilization of colonoscopies at VA facilities. Read more about the new scandal by clicking here, or visit our Radiation Oncology Digital Community at radiation.auntminnie.com.
P.S. Today's Letter from the Editor marks our first edition with the Editor's Note at the bottom of the newsletter rather than in its traditional position at the top. We think the new design will make it easier for you to quickly scan the day's headlines and get the information you're looking for. Let us know what you think by sending me an e-mail at the address below.
