Dear AuntMinnie Member,
SAN FRANCISCO - The complexity of cancer care is requiring closer integration between radiology and radiation oncology, two separate but increasingly intertwined disciplines, according to Dr. Hedvig Hricak, PhD, a keynote speaker at this week's American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) meeting.
In her presentation on Monday, Dr. Hricak noted how multiple medical specialties are converging as the technology for diagnosing and treating cancer becomes increasingly complex. But this convergence requires the rise of hybrid multidisciplinary teams for which training and education scarcely exist, according to an article by International Editor Eric Barnes.
Dr. Hricak explores the myriad imaging technologies that are available for diagnosing patients and following up on their treatment -- technologies that range from commercially available products to those not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. All will require training that has yet to be developed for tomorrow's specialists, let alone today's, she said.
Read more about this fascinating talk by clicking here.
Ultrasound for stroke
In other news, a new study by a group from Weill Cornell Medical College found that transcranial Doppler ultrasound can identify which asymptomatic patients with carotid artery stenosis could be at risk of stroke, according to an article in our Ultrasound Digital Community.
The group used ultrasound to assess cerebrovascular reserve, the capacity of the brain to maintain adequate blood flow in circumstances of decreased perfusion pressure. They then developed a computer model to assess outcomes from different strategies for determining which patients are the best candidates for revascularization, one of which involved transcranial Doppler.
The ultrasound-based rule produced the best balance of costs and extended life expectancy of the three approaches used. Learn more by clicking here, or visit our Ultrasound Digital Community at ultrasound.auntminnie.com.
Saudi radiation awareness
Finally, we're wrapping up our coverage of last week's International Congress of Radiology (ICR) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with an article on improvements that could be made in radiation dose awareness at hospitals in Saudi Arabia.
A survey presented at ICR 2014 found that more than 90% of patients said they did not receive any information from physicians about the benefits and risks of CT exams, and some 60% responded that they were not aware that CT scans were potentially harmful to the body.
Read more by clicking here, or visit our AuntMinnie Middle East special section at me.auntminnie.com.
