We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us
GLOBETECH PUBLISHING LLC

Download Mobile App




Events

ATTENTION: Due to the COVID-19 PANDEMIC, many events are being rescheduled for a later date, converted into virtual venues, or altogether cancelled. Please check with the event organizer or website prior to planning for any forthcoming event.

New Imaging Technique Could Measure Absorbed Dose from Radiation Therapy

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 16 Dec 2022
Print article
Image: The new imaging technique will be tested in patients with metastatic prostate cancer (Photo courtesy of Pexels)
Image: The new imaging technique will be tested in patients with metastatic prostate cancer (Photo courtesy of Pexels)

Patients with cancer that has spread to the bone are sometimes treated with alpha particle radiation therapy that is delivered into or very close to the tumor. However, it is unknown whether the radioactive particles are distributed through the surrounding region or to the body’s vital organs, where they could have toxic effects. Now, researchers plan to measure this distribution using a novel imaging method with a four-year USD2.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA).

Using a novel low-count quantitative single photon emission computed tomography (LC-QSPECT), researchers at Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO, USA) plan to build a computational framework from which to measure the concentration of the radiopharmaceutical material. Scans with this technology will allow the team to measure the concentration of the radiopharmaceutical activity in the tumor and the various radio-sensitive organs of the body. SPECT imaging could provide a mechanism to see where the drug has gone in the body. However, the challenge is that the number of counts detected with these treatments is very small. Conventional approaches that reconstruct the distribution of the isotopes and estimate the uptake from reconstructed images are not accurate at low count levels, so there is a need for new approaches to quantify the drug in a patient.

The approach that the team proposes stems from their previous research in which the researchers had found that a low-count quantitative single-photon emission computed tomography (LC-QSPECT) method provided reliable measurements of the radionuclide uptake. To validate this method, the team also plans a human trial in patients with metastatic prostate cancer who no longer responds to hormone therapy, or castrate resistant. The team has already done a computational clinical trial in a simulated patient population. The results showed that the method was yielding highly accurate and precise values of radionuclide organ uptake.

“Our eventual goal is clinical translation of this method so that it can benefit patients being treated with these therapies,” said Abhinav Jha, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering and of radiology at the School of Medicine’s Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR), both at Washington University in St. Louis. “There is much excitement surrounding this use of SPECT imaging for therapy. We are delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to this space.”

Related Links:
Washington University in St. Louis
NIH 

Gold Supplier
Portable X-Ray System
FDR Xair
New
Multipurpose Radiography System
NeuVision 460
New
Silver Supplier
Field Calibration Instrument
DAPcheck Plus
New
Digital X-Ray Flat Panel Detector
2121DXV

Print article
FIME - Informa
Sun Nuclear -    Mirion

Channels

Radiography

view channel
Image: BiOI ruby-like crystals can improve medical imaging safety by lowering intensities of harmful X-rays (Photo courtesy of University of Cambridge)

Sustainable Solar Cell Material Could Revolutionize Medical Imaging

The use of X-rays for internal body imaging has dramatically changed non-invasive medical diagnostics. Yet, the high dose of X-rays required for these imaging techniques, due to the poor performance of... Read more

MRI

view channel
Image: An international, multi-institutional project aims to develop a radically new MRI scanner that is compact and transportable (Photo courtesy of U of M Medical School)

Compact and Portable MRI Scanner to Expand Existing Imaging Capabilities and Accessibility

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technology which provides detailed images of the human brain is instrumental in understanding brain functions and diagnosing medical conditions. MRI has become indispensable... Read more

Ultrasound

view channel
Image: A new study has shown the value of endoscopic ultrasound in NSCLC (Photo courtesy of Freepik)

Endoscopic Ultrasound Can Provide Value in NSCLC, Finds Study

The usefulness of confirmatory mediastinoscopy following tumor-negative results on endoscopic ultrasound still remains debatable among researchers. This procedure is often employed for mediastinal staging... Read more

Imaging IT

view channel
Image: The new Medical Imaging Suite makes healthcare imaging data more accessible, interoperable and useful (Photo courtesy of Google Cloud)

New Google Cloud Medical Imaging Suite Makes Imaging Healthcare Data More Accessible

Medical imaging is a critical tool used to diagnose patients, and there are billions of medical images scanned globally each year. Imaging data accounts for about 90% of all healthcare data1 and, until... Read more

Industry News

view channel
Image: The global AI-enabled medical imaging solutions market is expected to reach USD 18.36 billion in 2032 (Photo courtesy of Freepik)

Global AI-Enabled Medical Imaging Solutions Market Driven by Need for Early Disease Detection

The AI-enabled medical imaging solutions market is currently in its developmental stages, following the significant role of AI-based tools in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic saw an upswing... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2023 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.