Study: Mammography 'Definitely' Saves Lives

Although improved treatments have significantly improved breast cancer survival rates even when the disease is detected late, screening mammograms still save lives, according to a Dutch study.

The researchers revealed their findings Wednesday at the Eighth European Breast Cancer Conference in Vienna. Rianne de Gelder, a PhD student and researcher at the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, presented the paper.

“The … read more »

In the war between cancer cells and radiation therapy, researchers at Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta have developed ways to weaken cancer’s defenses.

Radiation kills cells primarily by damaging DNA. The researchers at Winship, which is part of Emory University, have been experimenting with RNA molecules that shut down genes needed for DNA repair. The scientists sneak the RNA into the … read more »

A single X-ray treatment of an individual eye can apparently provide mice with lifelong protection against glaucoma.

The disease, a leading cause of blindness, involves damage to the optic nerve through complex, poorly understood processes. It affects more than 4 million Americans.

Scientists led by researchers at The Jackson Laboratory report on their findings about the X-ray treatment in an article published … read more »

If it’s any consolation, even U.S. senators sometimes can’t get anything out of government bureaucrats.

Yeah, we didn’t think it would be much consolation. Still, senators can do something most of the rest of us can’t: they can introduce legislation designed to force agencies into action.

And so, last week, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Michael Bennet (D-Colorado), and … read more »

Exposure of fetuses to cell phone radiation affects brain development and seems to lead to hyperactivity and reduced memory capacity—at least in mice.

The researchers, all affiliated with Yale University, didn’t give cell phones to mice. Instead, they put cell phones on top of the mice’s cages. Each phone was silenced but placed on a continuous active call for the duration … read more »

A new technique for getting drugs past the blood-brain barrier involves both ultrasound and MRI.

Toronto researchers injected microbubbles of lipids and gas into the bloodstream. When the microbubbles reached the brain, the researchers used focused ultrasound to make the microbubbles expand and contract. That apparently causes the cells that form the blood-brain barrier to separate temporarily, allowing drugs to pass … read more »

An idle scanner generates no revenue. So Scot Woolley of Castle Rock, Colorado, launched CarePilot, a Web site that offers consumers discounts on, in essence, unused inventory of imaging as well as other health-care services.

CarePilot’s services include X-rays, MRI, CT, ultrasound, PET, mammograms, and stereotactic breast biopsies. The list also includes a wide variety of other procedures—everything from a basic … read more »

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBSGa), the state’s largest health insurer, has begun calling patients who have been referred for a CT or MRI scan and letting them know whether they can find a better deal somewhere else.

A BCBSGa news release explains:
Once a referral is made for an MRI and/or CT scan by a physician at a specific facility, … read more »

Michael Criley, MD, concedes that cardiac imaging has its uses, but he prefers the diagnostic tool that still hangs from the neck of just about every physician: the stethoscope.

Plain old cardiac auscultation can reveal a lot about a heart, says Dr. Criley. He asserted in an interview, as reported by HealthImaging:
If you are not thinking ahead and are just saying, … read more »

Imaging does little good for women with breast pain, finds a study by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center.

The researchers analyzed 916 women who were referred from 2006 through 2009 for breast pain at Boston Medical Center. Those for whom imaging was ordered (mammogram, MRI, or ultrasound) derived no significant benefit but did tend to … read more »