A study in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine showed that PET/CT scanners in the US and Europe had reconstruction protocols with varying recovery coefficients, which can affect standard uptake values, as well as multiple protocols with significant variation in CT absorbed dose and Hounsfield units. Researchers said the use of a protocol combining ordered subset expectation maximization and filtered back projection would provide more precise RC- and SUV-related quantitative information, and they offered other ideas for improving standardization.

Researchers at Osaka University Hospital in Japan have begun clinical research using the new PET radiotracer F-18 PSMA-1007 for diagnosis of prostate cancer diagnosis, and the initial scan was able to identify recurrent and metastatic prostate cancer that had been missed by bone scintigraphy and CT. "Implementing this clinical research will lead to accurate diagnosis of metastatic and recurrent prostate cancer and will become a much more precise assessment method for offering patients the best treatment," said researcher Dr. Tadashi Watabe.

Researchers found that a machine learning model can be trained to classify renal cell carcinomas and could significantly reduce instances of misclassification. The study, published in the American Journal of Roentgenology, presented a model that attained a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 89.1% when distinguishing between clear cell RCCs, papillary RCCs and chromophobe RCCs, and the model was compared against four veteran radiologists, who achieved a sensitivity ranging from 73.7% to 96.8% and specificity ranging from 48.4% to 71.9% in the same scenario.

A study in Diabetes Care found higher all-cause mortality and adjusted cardiovascular mortality risks for adults with diabetes who had myocardial infarction at age 50 or younger, compared with those without diabetes. Based on EHRs and data from the Social Security Administration Death Master File and the National Death Index, researchers found higher all-cause mortality and adjusted CV mortality risk among patients with diabetes who used insulin, compared with those not using insulin.

Mereo BioPharma's bispecific antibody candidate navicixizumab was granted fast track designation by the FDA to treat high-grade ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer who have previously undergone at least three rounds of treatment with or without Roche's Avastin, or bevacizumab.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium has recommended the National Health Service's use of Gilead Sciences' gene therapy Yescarta, or axicabtagene ciloleucel, as a treatment for relapsed or refractory primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in patients who have undergone at least two previous lines of therapy.

Radiology practices can help limit liability by ensuring that the software they use effectively captures terminology for follow-up recommendations in reports and keeps the contact information of each patient's primary care physician on file to communicate the recommendation with them, writes Rebecca Farrington, chief revenue officer for Healthcare Administrative Partners. Some software may also encounter data anomalies, such as corrupt speech files and obscure language during dictations, that may prevent them from identifying follow-up recommendations, she writes.

South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who is seeking the Democratic party's nomination to run for president, unveiled a plan to lower prescription drug prices by letting Medicare and his proposed public option plan negotiate lower prices with drugmakers and extend the agreed-upon prices to those with private insurance. Under the proposal, Medicare out-of-pocket drug costs would be capped at $200 per month, and drugmakers will have to pay rebates for price increases that exceed the rate of inflation.

A University of Utah biomedical engineer has been awarded a $1.5 million New Innovator Award from the NIH to study ways to stop cancer from spreading. Tara Deans' research focuses on developing blood platelets that have been specifically engineered to search for and destroy cancer cells.

Greater use of EHRs and artificial intelligence technology in medical imaging informatics is advancing care, but it also has opened the door to more liability risks, writes Luke Bideaux, founder of the consulting firm Vega Imaging Informatics. Because of this, imaging informatics experts could be called on to help legal teams bolster or defend cases and, in some instances, provide a deposition or testify during a trial, Bideaux writes.

SNMMI's Clinical Trials Network presents "The Review of Radiopharmaceutical Series," developed specifically for technologists. Need an update on radiopharmaceuticals used in different imaging indications? This series is for you! Each indication will have a dedicated presentation reviewing the radiopharmaceuticals used in the clinical setting and in research. Don't miss this week's webinar: "The Review of Radiopharmaceuticals Used in Bone and Infection Imaging," Thursday, Oct. 10. View series and register today.

This award was established in 1999 by the Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) Committee in honor of Robert Loevinger and Mones Berman, who formulated the MIRD schema for internal dose calculations. It recognized excellence pertaining to the field of internal dosimetry in nuclear medicine through: research and/or development, significant public contributions, or advancement of the understanding of internal dosimetry in relationship to risk and therapeutic efficacy. Find out more.