Tomosynthesis opens up new opportunities in lung cancer screening

摘要

Cancer is the most common cause of death in Japan, and the number of deaths from the disease continues to increase every year. According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, lung cancer was the No. 1 cause of cancer death among men in 2008, and the No. 2 cause of cancer death among women. Lung cancer screening for early detection is normally performed by chest X-ray, which is effective for advanced cancers but has limited diagnostic ability for stage-one early cancers. Realizing the limitations of plain film for chest imaging in 1993, Noriyuki Moriyama, currently Director of Research Center for Cancer Prevention and Screening, the National Cancer Center of Japan, conducted the world's first lung cancer screening by computed tomography (CT), and increased the five-year survival rate from 49% by conventional screening to 84% by CT.rnHowever, as the medical radiation exposure associated with CT becomes a global concern, Moriyama sees a major opportunity for digital tomosynthesis as a next-generation cancer-screening tool. He is presently working on clinical applications of this technology using Shimadzus SONIALVISION safire II X-ray R/F (radiography and fluo-roscopy) system, which is equipped with the 'safire' direct-conversion flat panel detector (FPD).