Dear Molecular Imaging Insider,
It took seven years of clinical research and lobbying, but nuclear medicine champions in Ontario finally will receive PET reimbursement for their efforts.
The Ontario government will begin public funding of PET imaging, beginning in October, for seven cancer indications and one cardiac application. Ontario joins six other Canadian provinces in providing coverage for PET scans, and two other provinces could follow suit in the near future.
Click here to read about the state of PET imaging in Ontario and how some Canadian nuclear medicine physicians are dealing with the global isotope shortage.
In other news, last week the Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group's (NRG) High Flux Reactor in Petten, Netherlands, went back online one day ahead of schedule. Hazelwood, MO-based Mallinckrodt, a joint venture partner with NRG at Petten, was expected to begin receiving shipments of medical isotopes from the restarted reactor this past weekend. Read more about the situation by clicking here.
In addition, a reactor in Australia is scheduled to go online in just a few weeks.
Also of note, a new report suggests that the U.S. PET market could see a rebound soon. The report from market research firm Bio-Tech Systems of Las Vegas found reason for optimism, despite a 17% decrease in PET scanner sales and slow growth in PET procedures in 2008.
This edition of the Insider also features a German study on PET/CT and radiation dose. Researchers found that using a low-dose protocol and eliminating contrast from the CT portion of PET/CT studies resulted in only slightly lower sensitivity for detecting metastases in melanoma patients, while delivering less radiation and no exposure to potential contrast reactions.
And, finally, FDG-PET showed "superior" ability to detect early-stage neuroblastoma, whereas scintigraphy with iodine-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (I-123 MIBG) can be beneficial in detecting the pediatric disease in more progressed stages. These conclusions come from researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and were published in the August issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
As the last vestiges of summer are upon us, keep in touch with the Molecular Imaging Digital Community on a daily basis to stay informed on industry developments and the latest research findings.
