Recommendations for New Global Cancer Scanning Biomarkers

A team of 78 experts from Europe and North America has identified 14 key recommendations for a new global standard for cancer scanning biomarkers.

The recommendations are intended to help researchers submit grants, increase reproducibility between laboratories, help researchers compare scans with other tests, and for cost-effectness. The recommendations were published in the October 11, 2016, issue of Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology.

The team included researchers from the CRUK-EPSRC Cancer Imaging Centres (Cambridge and Manchester, UK), and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC; Brussels, Belgium).

Clinicians today use Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans to provide 3D representations of tumors to help with the diagnosis, staging, and treatment planning for cancer. New scanning techniques often provide new and improved biomarkers, but their implementation for the treatment of cancer patients is often slow, because of a lack of standardization. The new techniques could be tested more effectively in clinical trials if scanners from different manufacturers were calibrated similarly in different hospitals.

Clinical Leader for the Medical and TRI Department at EORTC, Yan Liu, said, "Academic research can play a critical role in ensuring fundamental research and technological innovation reach patients. This collaboration is a great example of how organizations can bring expertise together to identify and resolve issues in getting the imaging biomarkers introduced into clinical practice to make a bigger impact on people's lives."

Related Links:
CRUK-EPSRC Cancer Imaging Centres
European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer