Latest American College of Radiology Stories

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) have released practice guidelines for image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in the February issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.These guidelines were released as educational tools to assist practitioners in providing appropriate, effective and safe medical care for patients.IGRT uses...

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center are incorporating radiation dose exposure reports into the electronic medical record, an effort that they hope will lead to an accurate assessment of whether any cancer risk is associated with low-dose radiation exposure from medical imaging tests, according to an article in the February issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR). The electronic medical record allows for the storage, retrieval, and...

There remains a lack of consensus amongst the medical and scientific communities about any cancer risk from low level radiation, particularly low-dose radiation delivered from computed tomography (CT) scans. However, the study of epigenetics may play a role in determining whether or not future trends of diseases can in fact be linked to utilization of CT, according to an article in the February issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR).The term epigenetics refers to...

Videoconferencing is a practical and effective way for residents/fellows in rural areas to attend practice-based learning courses and obtain continuing medical education (CME) credits, required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), without the cost and inconvenience of long distance travel, according to a study in the February issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR).Practice-based learning courses are vital. They help residents/fellows...

FRANKLIN, Tenn., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Use of technology that expands access to the most qualified radiologist will lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, said MedSolutions, a leading provider of medical cost management services. MedSolutions is speaking out in the wake of controversy surrounding recent recommendations from the U.S. Preventative Task Force, which suggested mammography screenings be limited for women under 50.(1) The guidelines ignited significant debate...

Amid concerns regarding terrorists targeting airliners using weapons less detectable by traditional means, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is ramping up deployment of whole body scanners at security checkpoints in U.S. airports. These systems produce anatomically accurate images of the body and can detect objects and substances concealed by clothing.To date, TSA has deployed two types of scanning systems:Millimeter wave technology uses low-level radio waves in the millimeter...

According to new guidelines released from two different sources on Monday, mammogram testing should begin on women with an average risk of breast cancer at age 40 and women with a higher risk at age 30. These new guidelines contradict guidelines from a U.S. advisory panel made last year. According to Reuters, the American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging made the joint recommendations based on the success of annual mammography screening beginning at age 40. "The...

At the request of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce as part of an investigation into preventable medical errors, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has issued a report recommending further restrictions regarding duty hours for resident physicians and other actions to reduce resident fatigue and ensure patient safety, according to an article published in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR).In 2003, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical...

The new recommendations from the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) on breast cancer screening, published in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR), state that breast cancer screening should begin at age 40 and earlier in high-risk patients. The recommendations also suggest appropriate utilization of medical imaging modalities such as mammography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound for breast cancer...

A recent study shows that 95 percent of radiation oncologists use advanced imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and 4-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) for target delineation (to locate the tumor and other areas at risk for having cancer), according to an article in the December issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology, (JACR, www.jacr.org).In defining the target, the radiation oncologist draws upon a number...