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The first paper looking at a new technology in the frontline setting for treating prostate cancer was published this week. The "HIFU" high-intensity ultrasound treatment was profiled on a prime-time news program a few months back and has aroused some strong emotions on both sides of the fence. While there have been some studies in patients that have already been treated for prostate cancer there are almost no studies in untreated patients. There is some good efficacy reported but the patients haven't been followed for long enough to know whether the treatment is really effective.

This is an unbelievable story but evidently published today in PNAS a reputable journal. Scientists at IBM have evidently solved the resolution problem with MRI making it 100 million times higher resolution Regular TV: 485 x 450 resolution High Definition: 1920 x 1080 resolution So the difference between regular TV and High-Def is about a factor of 3. The difference between regular MRI and "magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM)" detailed in the article is 100 MILLION!

A report from a radiological meeting continues the encouraging news we've heard lately about nuclear scans for breast cancer so-called Molecular Breast Imaging. A series of 145 breast cancer patients underwent the nuclear study 45 additional lesions were biopsied for 19 new cancers. All 145 women had a negative mammogram for the additional tumors. The accompanying press article contains the usual justifications of why nuclear scanning is better than other technologies including cost and flexibility in diabetics.

A study expected to be unveiled at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer Symposium says that women who receive an MRI after an initial diagnosis of breast cancer are delaying their treatment and are more likely to require a mastectomy rather than some other type of breast conserving surgical intervention. In spite of this very clear evidence regarding the benefits of MRI the authors of the study say that the use of the MRI is definitely on the rise. "There was no rhyme or reason as to when MRIs are being used " said the author of the study Dr. Richard J.

Use of breast MRI prior to cancer surgery questioned

Mayo Clinic study: Preop Breast MRI leads to more mastectomies JNCI: Mastectomy is on the rise in breast cancer and preop MRI may explain change