ACR News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers said they helped advanced lung cancer patients fare better by matching their tumors to targeted drugs, in what they said is the first significant trial to show it is possible to choose the best drug for an individual patient.

Reston, VA — July 6-9, 2010, the American College of Radiology (ACR) Education Center is going on the road to offer its first off-campus certificate of proficiency course in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the Breast. The course will be held at the Silver Cloud Inn at Lake Union in Seattle, WA.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Duration of colonoscopy is positively linked with adenoma detection and the quality of screening, but only to a certain point, new research shows.

In response to recent publicity on errors in radiation therapy and the increasing complexity of the treatment process, the American College of Radiology (ACR) has endorsed “Safety in Radiation Therapy ? A Call to Action” a conference hosted by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). The event will take place June 24-25, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Miami.

TORONTO (Reuters Health) - In nondiabetic patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), higher peripheral insulin levels are linked to slower cognitive decline and less brain atrophy, researchers reported today at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd annual meeting.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Intra-arterial fibrinolysis improves outcomes after acute ischemic stroke, a meta-analysis confirms -- and although the treatment increases the risk of hemorrhage, that doesn't translate to increased mortality.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new high-affinity androgen-receptor antagonist was safe and tolerable for men with castration-resistant prostate cancer, according to dose-escalation study results -- and it showed promising antitumor effects as well.

Reston, VA ? On May 10, 2010 the American College of Radiology (ACR) will launch its Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging Accreditation Program (BMRAP). The program was developed by the ACR Committee on Breast MRI Accreditation.

In collaboration with Skyscape, the ACR has developed the ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Anytime, Anywhere™ application for handheld electronic devices to provide instant, point-of-care access to all of the 167 topics, which can be directly downloaded on to the iPhone®, Blackberry®, Palm® products, and other PDAs, smart phones, or handheld electronic devices.

E. Stephen Amis, MD, FACR, co-chair of the ACR/RSNA Joint Task Force on Adult Radiation Protection and past chair of the ACR Board of Chancellors, and Richard L. Morin, PhD, FACR, chair of the American College of Radiology Safety Committee, will represent the ACR at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Public Meeting: Device Improvement to Reduce Unnecessary Radiation Exposure from Medical Imaging March 30-31, 2010 in Gaithersburg, MD.

Marilyn Goske, MD, chair of the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging and Silverman Chair for Radiology Education at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center, along with several key members of the Image Gently Steering Committee will highlight the unique concerns associated with the imaging of children at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Public Meeting: Device Improvement to Reduce Unnecessary Radiation Exposure from Medical Imaging March 30-31, 2010 in Gaithersburg, MD.

There are several imaging related provisions contained in the recently enacted health care reform bills affecting ACR members. This is a broad summary of those provisions.

An ACR backed amendment was submitted by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) on March 25 to strike from the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872) a provision raising the medical imaging equipment utilization rate from 50 percent to 75 percent for imaging equipment priced over $1 million.

The ACR strongly opposes current medical imaging cuts contained in The Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872) which will shift necessary imaging care to large hospitals, increase the cost to Medicare of appropriate imaging, produce longer commutes and wait times for patients to receive care, and cause potentially life threatening delays in diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other serious illnesses.

Misleading or biased expert witness testimony in medical liability litigation continues to be a problem. This ACR Expert Witness Affirmation declares that as an expert witness, you will uphold certain professional tenets, such as outlined in ACR’s Expert Witness Practice Guideline, ACR policy, and ACR’s Code of Ethics.

Nordic scientists said on Wednesday they had found no evidence that screening women for breast cancer has any effect on death rates, adding to an already fierce international debate about routine testing.

Rates of certain birth defects appear higher than normal in one of the Ukraine regions most affected by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster, according to a new study.

In pregnant women with acute trauma, computed tomography accurately identifies placental abruption, Arizona researchers report.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - High-potency, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) may improve survival for patients with medically inoperable early stage lung cancer, results of a multicenter phase 2 trial suggest.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday defended their plans to pass a broad healthcare overhaul without a direct vote as President Barack Obama's top domestic priority neared a make-or-break showdown.