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Assessing tumor margins can be challenging, particularly in breast cancer patients. According to a study in this month’s Journal of Nuclear Medicine, a new molecular imaging technique may allow surgeons to evaluate tumor margins from breast-conserving surgery with unprecedented accuracy. Read about it in this month’s e-News Exclusive. — Dave Yeager, editor Combined Optical and Molecular Imaging Could Guide Breast-Conserving Surgery Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) is the primary treatment for early-stage breast cancer, but more accurate techniques are needed to assess resection margins during surgery to avoid the need for follow-up surgeries. Now, in a first-in-human study, British researchers have provided a possible solution using Cerenkov luminescence imaging (CLI), which combines optical and molecular imaging by detecting light emitted by the PET radiotracer 18F-FDG. CLI’s high-resolution and compact imaging equipment make it a promising technology for assessing tumor margins during breast tumor surgery. The study is published in the June issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine. “Currently, approximately one in five women who undergo breast-conserving surgery, also known as lumpectomy, require repeat surgery due to inadequate excision of the tumor during the initial surgical procedure,” explains Arnie D. Purushotham, MD, a professor at King’s College London in the United Kingdom. “By accurately assessing tumor resection margins intraoperatively with CLI, surgeons may be able to completely clear the cancer with a single operation, thereby reducing the number of breast cancer patients requiring a second, or even third, surgical procedure. Ultimately, this could lead to improved patient care and reduced health care costs, if confirmed in larger clinical studies.” The study included 22 patients with invasive breast cancer. 18F-FDG was injected 45 to 60 minutes before surgery. Immediately after the excision of tumors, specimens were imaged intraoperatively in an investigational CLI imaging system. The first 10 patients were used to optimize the imaging protocol; the remaining 12 were included in the analysis data set. Ten of the 12 patients had an elevated tumor radiance on CLI, and agreement among raters on margin distance was good. Sentinel lymph nodes, which received technetium-99m to facilitate identification, were successfully detected and biopsied in all patients. Full story »   e-News Exclusive Opening Up the Skies Protecting the Team Expanding the Boundaries Harmonizing Breast Images Breakthrough in Delirium Research ‘Solves 2,500-Year-Old Mystery’ ‘Wearable’ Brain Scanner Holds Potential to Study a Variety of Brain Conditions Trial Evaluating Safety of Focused Ultrasound in Alzheimer’s Patients Medical Imaging Goes to the Movies Worth Repeating Opening Up the Skies In this month’s cover story, Radiology Today examines trends in cloud computing affecting radiologists and related multidisciplinary professionals. Read more » Protecting the Team It’s important to protect patients from unnecessary radiation exposure, but don’t forget about dose safety and management for the imaging staff. Read more » Expanding the Boundaries Volumetric MRI represents a step forward in technique and technology. New imaging software offers new options for measuring disease-related brain changes and is of particular interest in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. Read more » Harmonizing Breast Images Synthesized 2D images bring a new view to breast imaging with less radiation. Early results have shown great promise for patient convenience and peace of mind. Read more »

Breakthrough in Delirium Research ‘Solves 2,500-Year-Old Mystery’ Researchers in New South Wales, Australia, have made a breakthrough in identifying the cause of delirium in elderly patients. By using PET scans, the researchers identified abnormal glucose metabolism in the brains of patients who developed delirum, ABC News Australia reports. ‘Wearable’ Brain Scanner Holds Potential to Study a Variety of Brain Conditions As Radiology Today reported in November 2016, scientists have developed a miniaturized PET brain scanner to study the links between movement and brain activity. The scanner can be worn like a helmet, allowing research subjects to make movements while the device scans. R&D Magazine weighs in with the latest in this intriguing field. Trial Evaluating Safety of Focused Ultrasound in Alzheimer’s Patients A first-ever clinical trial evaluating the safety and feasibility of opening the blood-brain barrier in Alzheimer’s disease patients using focused ultrasound is underway at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada, according to Alzheimer’s News Today. Previous trials on animals showed that opening the blood-brain barrier using this method can allow immune cells to cross into the brain. Medical Imaging Goes to the Movies To add detail and depth beyond what is possible with today’s volume-rendered images, researchers in Austria have adopted “cinematic rendering,” a technique straight out of Hollywood, to allow clinicians to control how much light is cast on different parts of 3D medical images. As Undark.org reports, the technique could help doctors better plan difficult surgeries. “It’s very simple. If JPL has a bunch of technology—to get to the moon, to look for life on Europa—and that has any benefit for medicine and health, then we have a responsibility to share that benefit with the public.” — Leon Alkalai, PhD, a veteran technologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, on sharing with the medical field the technology NASA uses to explore the cosmos, specifically the Cassini probe, which is now using some of its space exploration technology to study the microbiome in breast duct fluid, as reported by STAT Radiology Today's online gift shop features a wide variety of items for radiology professionals. Choose from t-shirts, journals, clocks, buttons, mouse pads, and much more! Check out our secure online shop today or call toll-free 877-809-1659 for easy and fast ordering.   Have a product or service you want to market to radiology professionals or an open position that you need to fill quickly? Radiology Today offers many flexible advertising programs designed to maximize your results. From print advertising to e-newsletter sponsorships, website advertising to direct mail opportunities, Radiology Today helps achieve your goals. E-mail our experienced account executives today for more information or call 800-278-4400! Coming up in our July issue is our AHRA Product Showcase. Contact sales for more information. AlliedHealthCareers.com is the premier online resource to recruit radiology professionals. Post your open positions, view résumés, and showcase your facility's offerings all at AlliedHealthCareers.com! Radiology Today's Physician Recruitment Center gives physician recruiters a powerful tool to satisfy their current needs. An ideal option for recruiters looking to fill partnership opportunities, academic appointments, and hospital staff positions, the Physician Recruitment Center is visited regularly by radiologists and other imaging physicians during their frequent trips to our website for the best coverage of industry news and trends. Set up Job Alerts and create your online Résumé to let potential employers find you today!