by
Carol Ko, Staff Writer | September 09, 2013
From the September 2013 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Molecular imaging takes center stage
Redefining cancer also means rethinking how cancers should be imaged and screened. Up till now, manufacturers and the research community have traditionally focused on maximizing sensitivity to pick up on smaller and smaller lesions.
But now, Kramer says that better cancer detection means refining molecular tools. “Instead of just saying, ‘it fulfills the criteria of cancer,’ let’s go the next step and see if there’s a pattern at the molecular level,” he says.
With the aid of more sophisticated molecular imaging technologies, Kramer envisions developing a test that no longer just shows a lesion, but actually gives doctors a more refined knowledge of the disease that helps them understand how it behaves on a molecular level.
Narrow the net
As screening technologies become more refined, the criteria for screening should be kept high according to Kramer, who cites this as a concern voiced among researchers at the NCI and professional societies.
For example, if the U.S. Task Force’s recent recommendation for annual CT screenings for lung cancer were expanded to include low-risk patients, this may expose them to the harms of overtreatment. “Since the balance of benefits and harm was already close in the NLST, you could actually reverse the balance if you expand the trial,” he says.
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