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New possibilities for breast cancer treatment on the horizon
June 17, 2008Custom-built breast PET/CT scanner could advance breast cancer treatment, say researchers at SNM's 55th Annual Meeting
NEW ORLEANS, La.-The first patient scans from a custom-built scanner combining positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) technologies indicate that these scans could significantly improve breast cancer imaging capabilities and lead to more targeted treatment options, according to researchers at SNM's 55th Annual Meeting. The prototype scanner is designed to help physicians determine stages of breast cancer in patients already diagnosed with the disease, rather than as a mammography screening tool.
"The use of dedicated breast PET/CT scanners could really open up new possibilities in treatment for women with breast cancer," said Ramsey Badawi, assistant professor of radiology, University of California-Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, and investigator for the study, First Human Images from a Dedicated Breast PET/CT Scanner. "Using this noninvasive technology, physicians can get much more accurate images of tumors-especially small tumors-than conventional full-body PET scans. This will enable physicians to determine the stage of the cancer and determine courses of treatment more accurately."
In addition, the technology could eventually be used to detect early whether drug treatments are effective in individual patients. "One great advantage for doctors will be to better plan breast cancer surgeries," said Badawi. "Using a PET/CT scan, doctors should be able to determine whether drug treatments are working before performing surgery, thus eliminating unnecessary mastectomies. Medical professionals will also have a much better sense of the exact location and size of tumors."
The technology also can be used to measure the effectiveness of new drugs and molecular imaging agents for detecting and treating breast cancer, another important component to advancing individualized medicine for patients. In addition, the dedicated breast PET/CT scanner can detect the difference between malignancies and benign tissues such as cysts or scars, eliminating many unnecessary biopsies.
The prototype breast PET/CT scanner studied by Badawi and his team consists of two adjustable planar heads. Patients lie prone as the PET and CT systems rotate around the freely suspended breast. PET and CD data are used to produce detailed three-dimensional images. Many women could also find the new technology more comfortable, because it does not require the breast to be compressed during the scan.
The first patient to be scanned with the dedicated breast PET/CT scanner was a 49-year-old woman with a palpable mass on her right breast. The dedicated breast PET/CT scan accurately detected breast cancer, which was later confirmed by biopsy. The results indicate that PET and CT images of the uncompressed breast are accurate and provide clinically relevant data.
Society of Nuclear Medicine
In addition, the technology could eventually be used to detect early whether drug treatments are effective in individual patients. "One great advantage for doctors will be to better plan breast cancer surgeries," said Badawi. "Using a PET/CT scan, doctors should be able to determine whether drug treatments are working before performing surgery, thus eliminating unnecessary mastectomies. Medical professionals will also have a much better sense of the exact location and size of tumors."
The technology also can be used to measure the effectiveness of new drugs and molecular imaging agents for detecting and treating breast cancer, another important component to advancing individualized medicine for patients. In addition, the dedicated breast PET/CT scanner can detect the difference between malignancies and benign tissues such as cysts or scars, eliminating many unnecessary biopsies.
The prototype breast PET/CT scanner studied by Badawi and his team consists of two adjustable planar heads. Patients lie prone as the PET and CT systems rotate around the freely suspended breast. PET and CD data are used to produce detailed three-dimensional images. Many women could also find the new technology more comfortable, because it does not require the breast to be compressed during the scan.
The first patient to be scanned with the dedicated breast PET/CT scanner was a 49-year-old woman with a palpable mass on her right breast. The dedicated breast PET/CT scan accurately detected breast cancer, which was later confirmed by biopsy. The results indicate that PET and CT images of the uncompressed breast are accurate and provide clinically relevant data.
Society of Nuclear Medicine
Breast Cancer Treatment News and Current Breast Cancer Treatment Events RSSM. D. Anderson nurse addresses lymphedema in breast cancer patients and survivors
A poster session presented today by The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center at the Oncology Nurses Society 33rd Annual Congress, found that early nursing intervention and implementation of effective strategies can lead to a decrease in the incidence of lymphedema, better management of chronic lymphedema and improved quality of life in breast cancer patients.
Preoperative assessment of cancer patients enables early diagnosis, treatment of lymphedema
The preoperative assessment of breast cancer patients for subclinical lymphedema enables clinicians to establish a baseline, which serves to enable the early diagnosis and successful treatment of the debilitating condition.
MSU study finds media coverage of breast cancer focuses too little on prevention
News coverage of breast cancer focuses too much on treatments and not enough on prevention, a trend that could prove risky in the long run for many women, say researchers at Michigan State University.
Pregnant patients lose out in breast cancer treatment; a new approach is needed
Pregnant breast cancer patients can be treated as closely as possible to existing guidelines for non-pregnant patients, with few ill effects.
Too many women still dying from breast cancer, says charity
Thousands of women die from breast cancer each year because current treatments are not always effective and in some cases fail to stem the disease, warns Breast Cancer Campaign today.
Screening the herbal pharmacy
Curing cancer with natural products - a case for shamans and herb women? Not at all, for many chemotherapies to fight cancer applied in modern medicine are natural products or were developed on the basis of natural substances.
Vet medicine researcher examines link between cancer, Down syndrome
here's new hope for breast cancer research, and it's coming from a very unlikely place. Researchers at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences recently published articles in the journals Molecular and Cellular Biology and Carcinogenesis indicating that a protein long suspected to play a role in Down Syndrome may also contribute to treating this devastating disease.
Health Insurance Co-Payments Deter Mammography Use
When faced with even a modest health insurance co-payment for a mammogram, significantly fewer women receive these potentially life-saving breast cancer screenings, according to a new study by Brown University and Harvard Medical School researchers.
Further breakthroughs for breast cancer patients
Researchers at the Tenovus Centre for Cancer Research at Cardiff University have made a breakthrough in breast cancer treatment that could help save the lives of women who become resistant to breast cancer drugs such as tamoxifen.
Women with breast cancer have less dermatitis when treated with IMRT
All women treated with radiation therapy for breast cancer are at risk of developing dermatitis-a sometimes-painful skin condition caused by radiation as it makes its way through the skin to the tumor area and tissue within the breast.
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