Nuclear Medicine News and Research

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Nuclear medicine is a branch or specialty of medicine and medical imaging that uses radioactive isotopes (radionuclides) and relies on the process of radioactive decay in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. In nuclear medicine procedures, radionuclides are combined with other chemical compounds or pharmaceuticals to form radiopharmaceuticals.

Combined PET and CT could be valuable noninvasive tool for determining stages of ovarian cancer

Combined positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) scanning of patients in the early stages of ovarian cancer can enable physicians to determine whether the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes without having to perform surgery, according to researchers at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 55th Annual Meeting.

16 Jun 2008

Noninvasive molecular imaging technology helps track stem cells in tumors

Using noninvasive molecular imaging technology, a method has been developed to track the location and activity of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the tumors of living organisms, according to researchers at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 55th Annual Meeting. This ability could lead to major advances in the use of stem cell therapies to treat cancer.

16 Jun 2008

Gene radiotherapy system shows promise for fighting treatment-resistant cancer cells

A gene radiotherapy system that detects and treats cancer cells that are resistant to traditional forms of chemotherapy and radiation showed success in the laboratory and could eventually prove beneficial for cancer patients, according to researchers at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 55th Annual Meeting.

16 Jun 2008

Radioimmunotherapy targeting viral antigens shows potential to treat or prevent viral cancers

A new study, presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 55th Annual Meeting, shows that radioimmunotherapy (RIT) targeting viral antigens offers a novel option to treat-or even prevent-many viral cancers by targeting cancer cells expressing viral antigens or infected cells before they convert into malignancy.

16 Jun 2008

Nuclear medicine imaging test could aid children suffering from reflux disease

A nuclear medicine imaging test was used to confirm that children with respiratory problems may be more likely to develop gastroesophageal reflux disease, according to researchers at Society of Nuclear Medicine's 55th Annual Meeting.

16 Jun 2008

Study recommends development of standards for pediatric doses in nuclear medicine

Results of a recent survey of 13 pediatric hospitals in North America show a lack of universally applied standards for administering radiopharmaceutical doses to children undergoing nuclear medicine examinations, according to an article in the June issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

11 Jun 2008

Researchers find link between altered dopamine activity and social anxiety disorder

Using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), researchers in The Netherlands were able to detect biochemical differences in the brains of individuals with generalized social anxiety disorder (also known as social phobia), providing evidence of a long-suspected biological cause for the dysfunction.

12 May 2008

Big differences in depressed brains

Depressed people may have far fewer of the receptors for some of the brain's "feel good" stress-response chemicals than non-depressed people, new University of Michigan Depression Center research shows.

8 May 2008

New drug for melanoma riluzole shows promise

Rutgers Professor Suzie Chen has found that riluzole, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug used to treat Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), slows the growth of melanoma, the most aggressive form of malignant skin cancer.

16 Apr 2008

Extremely low dose CT coronary angiography shows promise in assessing heart function

Extremely low dose CT coronary angiography can be used to measure cardiac function and has the potential for use when other commonly used examinations are limited, a preliminary study indicates.

11 Apr 2008

Power of molecular imaging reveals secrets of the heart

The extraordinary action of a new cellular therapy came to light as a result of powerful PET and SPECT imaging in a recent study reported in the April issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

10 Apr 2008

PET confirmed as valuable cancer diagnostic and disease-staging tool

The recent release of data by the National Oncologic PET Registry (NOPR) showing that positron emission tomography (PET) produced scans revealing disease at a molecular level, which then caused physicians to change treatment plans for more than one-third of participating patients, has corroborated decades of nuclear medicine research.

28 Mar 2008

Scans spot hidden tumors in Li-Fraumeni syndrome

Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report that full-body PET/CT scanning detected unsuspected, treatable tumors in 3 of 15 patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), a rare genetic cancer syndrome for which no screening tests have been recommended.

19 Mar 2008

Researchers find benefit for lymphoma patients in combined PET-CT scanning

Combined positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) imaging of lymphoma patients is a more effective method to evaluate response to radiation therapy, and may help patients avoid unnecessary follow-up treatments, a study by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) suggests.

13 Mar 2008

Novel imaging technique provides comprehensive diagnosis of heart disease

In the current issue of the journal Circulation, a research team from the Medical University of South Carolina's (MUSC) Heart & Vascular Center report their initial experience with a novel imaging technique that enables comprehensive diagnosis of heart disease based on a single computerized tomographic (CT) scan.

6 Mar 2008

Study looks at safe dosages of the isotope astatine-211 for brain tumors

In a study to determine safe dosages of the isotope astatine-211 for patients with recurring brain tumors, researchers were pleasantly surprised to find that not only was the isotope's potency sufficient to kill residual cancer cells without damaging sensitive healthy brain cells, but the patients experienced longer survival rates.

4 Feb 2008

New nanomedicine research for prostate cancer

The Prostate Cancer Foundation, largely through the generosity of David H. Koch, has given $5 million to four institutions, including Weill Cornell Medical College, to support novel research in prostate cancer. The gift is one of the largest-ever individual donations for prostate cancer research.

29 Jan 2008

Germanium-68 may aid medical imaging, drug development

Broadway stars have understudies. Now, an increasingly popular radioactive isotope has its own stand-in.

10 Jan 2008

Safer, more accurate, and more effective radiation therapy for pregnant women

Developing fetuses are extremely sensitive to radiation, which poses an impossible dilemma for expecting mothers in need of screening or treatment for cancer.

20 Dec 2007

PET/CT imaging proves golden for detecting cancer in children

PET/CT imaging exhibits significantly higher sensitivity, specificity and accuracy than conventional imaging when it comes to detecting malignant tumors in children, according to research published in the December issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

13 Dec 2007