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Understanding Cancer SeriesNovember 18, 2009, 11:00AM
A new study which uses modeling to summarize the benefits and harms of breast cancer screening finds that regular mammography screening for women ages 50 to 74 reduces the risk of dying due to breast cancer, with a smaller benefit for women 40 to 49. False-positives tests and overdiagnosis are of concern for all ages, although false positives are more common for women in their forties, and over-diagnosis is more of a concern for older women.
October 31, 2003
If you lived in a poor, Southern Texas border town, where could you go to get help if you had a rare form of cancer? The answer isn’t Bethesda, Md., or even San Antonio. It’s Laredo. Thanks to a new National Cancer Institute (NCI) program that harnesses the power of the telecommunications revolution, smaller towns like Laredo and remote ones like Rapid City, S.D., can tap into the resources of major cancer centers.
This issue of BenchMarks brings information on TELESYNERGY, an integrated telecommunications system of computers, microscopes, cameras, and other equipment that can transmit X-rays and other medical images or a live exam of a patient to distant sites where clinicians can discuss the case as if they were in the same room. The system allows U.S. specialists from big cities to consult on cases all over the nation and abroad. It also allows clinicians and patients, particularly those in underserved areas, to participate in clinical trials.
Jennifer Michalowski interviewed the creators of the TELESYNERGY system for our main story on this exciting technology. You’ll also find photos, audio clips, and an animation pertaining to the interview. The accompanying story presents a broader picture of cancer research supported by NCI that employs telemedicine.
September 18, 2002
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is capitalizing on other technologies besides imaging to look for ways to screen people who are at high risk for developing lung cancer.
The estimated 90 million current and former smokers in this country make up the biggest population at risk for lung cancer. But even if all smokers quit today, there would still be lung cancer cases for 50 years due to the damage already caused. Currently, less than 30 percent of lung cancers are diagnosed at an early stage, when conventional wisdom suggests they ought to be more curable. Because spiral computerized tomography (CT) detects smaller lesions than X-rays, some scientists believe it will catch tumors before they spread outside the lung.