Articles related to IMAGING/SCREENING

Unveiling USPSTF’s New Recommendation for Breast Cancer Screenings The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued a notable change in breast cancer screening guidelines, shedding light on the growing concern of breast cancer morbidity in the United States. This recommendation has profound implications for early detection and potential reduction in mortality rates.

Unraveling gene-specific cancer risks in first-degree relatives of PDAC probands sheds light on a higher uptake of genetic cascade testing. Recent data suggests that first-degree relatives of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) who carry pathogenic germline variants (PGVs) in specific cancer syndrome-associated genes face heightened cancer risks. The study focuses on PDAC probands carrying PGVs in nine such genes: ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, and CDKN2A. To date, these risks hadn’t been comprehensively analyzed. The study analyzed 234 PDAC probands with PGVs, selected from a pool of 4,562 participants who underwent genetic testing. Findings suggest that different genes correlate to distinct types of cancer. For instance, female relatives of probands with BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants showed significantly increased risks of ovarian and breast cancer. First-degree relatives of probands with Lynch syndrome mismatch repair variants exhibited higher risks of uterine, endometrial, and colon cancer. Additionally, the risk of PDAC itself rose with variants in ATM, BRCA2, CDKN2A, and PALB2, with melanoma risk escalating for relatives of probands with CDKN2A variants. Overall, this research underscores that gene-specific PDAC and extra-PDAC cancer risks in first-degree relatives of PDAC probands are linked with the presence of PGVs in nine cancer […]

In the realm of lung cancer screening, understanding the right approach for high-risk patients is paramount. This summary navigates through a quiz about lung cancer screening. Centered on a 63-year-old woman, she’s a former smoker. Moreover, she has COPD. The objective is to identify her optimal screening test. Presented are five options. These comprise chest X-ray, PET scan, low-dose CT, sputum cytology, and opting for no screening. Turning to the NLST for guidance, it emerges that one of these has the upper hand. USPSTF, among other societies, backs the method. Importantly, it’s fitting for high-risk groups. Given her age and past smoking habit, the woman meets the criteria. Consequently, it is suggested the woman receives this screening annually. However, screening bears risks. Potential harms span from further tests to patient distress. Additional concerns include overdiagnosis and radiation exposure. Therefore, advanced facilities are ideal for screening. Two of the choices are ruled out. Strikingly, they don’t improve mortality rates. In fact, one of the choices presented isn’t designed for routine screening. Instead, this type of scan evaluates previously identified nodules or masses. Notably, overlooking this type of screening may lead to premature mortality. This particularly holds for high-risk, asymptomatic patients. The […]

Johns Hopkins researchers develop breakthrough urine test for liver cancer, increasing early detection rates by supplementing traditional AFP testing. A groundbreaking screening test for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), developed by Amy Kim, a hepatologist at Johns Hopkins, and her team, has demonstrated the potential to detect liver cancer at an earlier stage than the current standard-of-care. This novel diagnostic approach seeks to identify a subset of genetic biomarkers in urine associated with HCC, thereby supplementing the traditional combination of ultrasound and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) blood testing. AFP tests have shown variable effectiveness with detection rates ranging between 40% and 90%, and a substantial number of liver cancer patients exhibit low AFP levels or misleadingly high levels due to liver disease, reducing the reliability of AFP as a singular biomarker. The study, conducted in collaboration with the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute and published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2022, analyzed samples from over 600 patients at high risk for liver disease across five medical centers. Kim’s team demonstrated that the combined use of urine circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing and AFP increased detection sensitivity from 40% to 77% in early-stage liver cancer, and from 62% to 92% in the very early […]

Pfizer and Thermo Fisher Scientific have partnered to expand access to next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based testing for lung and breast cancer patients in over 30 countries across Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The collaboration aims to address the limited availability of advanced genomic testing in these regions. Local access to NGS testing can provide faster analysis of associated genes, enabling healthcare providers to select the most appropriate therapy for individual patients. Thermo Fisher will identify local laboratories that will use their NGS technology and ensure they meet industry standards, while Pfizer will explore ways to make NGS testing affordable and raise awareness among healthcare providers. The companies plan to expand geographically and extend testing to other types of cancer. The global burden of cancer is expected to rise significantly, with breast and lung cancer being the leading types responsible for millions of deaths worldwide. To improve treatment outcomes, the collaboration seeks to deliver precision insights to underserved patients through rapid NGS testing conducted in decentralized labs closer to where patients are treated. The program aims to provide tailored care for cancer patients worldwide, acknowledging that individualized approaches based on precise disease characteristics are often required. By adopting next-generation […]

Recent draft guidelines from the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) propose a change in routine screening mammography recommendations. The new guidelines suggest that women should begin undergoing regular mammograms 10 years earlier than previously advised, starting at the age of 40. This recommendation applies to all individuals assigned female at birth. Simultaneously, FDA has made updates to federal mammography regulations, with a particular focus on reporting requirements related to breast density. These regulatory changes are motivated by studies indicating that approximately half of women over the age of 40 have dense breast tissue in concordance with the high prevalence of breast cancer in the population.