Message From Our Chairman
At the recent Society of Nuclear Medicine Annual Meeting in Miami four exciting research results were presented:

- Dr. Richard Wahl from Johns Hopkins University demonstrated osteoarthritis images of the hand using FDG.
- Dr. Mathew Thakur of Thomas Jefferson University showed the efficacy of very low dose breast imaging using 4 mCi of Cu-64.
- Related to low dose PEM imaging with FDG, researchers from University of Washington and Swedish Cancer Institute, led by physicist Dr. Lawrence MacDonald demonstrated clinical and scientific results yielding high-quality images for 3 different types of breast cancer (ILC, IDC and DCIS) using 5 mCi and 2.5 mCi of FDG.
- Additionally, Dr. Gustavo Mercier and researchers from Boston University Medical Center presented their clinical experience showing efficacy of 5 mCi as compared to 10 mCi of FDG.

As always, your feedback is welcomed.  Please do not hesitate to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with specific requests, suggestions or questions. 

Sincerely,

Paul Mirabella
Chairman & CEO

Cutting Edge Research Presented at SNM 2012

High Resolution 18F-FDG Small Joint Positron Emission Mammography ArthroPET imaging
Mhlanga J., Carrino J., Wahl R
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Feasibility of imaging small synovial joints using the Naviscan high-resolution PET scanner, or arthroPET, and F-18FDG.  14 patients were imaged to depict and quantify hand osteoarthritis, correlating with clinical signs, x-rays and WB-PETCT with 32 hand joints analyzed.  Results showed positive correlation and that arthroPET imaging is feasible and performs at least as well as dedicated PET/CT.

Positron Emission Mammograpy (PEM):  Beyond F-18FDG [Cu-64]
Thakur M., Zhang K., Berger A., Cavanaugh B., Kim S., Frangos A., Cascenzo C., Wickstrom E., Intenzo C.
Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
A feasibility study to perform PEM on 13 breast cancer patients with 15 lesions by targeting VPAC1 with a novel radiotracer Cu-64-TP3805 and F-18FDG was performed. Results demonstrated concordance with FDG.  These results are significant as the dose from Cu-64 is similar to one mammogram and does not require fasting indicating a potential for PEM to be used in a screening capacity in the future.

FDG-PEM Lesion Uptake at Three Post-injection Time Points
Macdonald L., Wang C., Beatty DJ, Rogers J.
University of Washington and Swedish Cancer Institute, Seattle, WA
To investigate lower dose in positron emission mammography (PEM), 29 patients (14 I.DC, 12 ILC, 6 DCIS and 6 benign uptake) were scanned at 3 time points to observe image quality at later times in which activity is reduced by decay.  Injections of ~2.5-5.5 mCi yielded high-quality images for 14 minute scan times, even 120 minutes post-injection.

Clinical Performance of Low Dose Positron Emission Mammography
Mercier GA,  Vassilakis N, Brennan J., DeVita F., Kachnic L.
Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA
145 women were imaged with PEM between 2009-2011, 75 from 2009 using 10 mCi F-18FDG and 70 in 2011 at 5 mCi.  Results indicate that in a cohort of women who participated in a study to evaluate PEM for screening breast cancer, a 5 mCi dose was as effective as a 10 mCi dose.   

New CME Accredited Physician Webinars on PEM Available Through ESI 
Educational Symposia, a leader in continuing medical education since 1975, has made available recent presentations by breast radiologist Dr. Stephen Rose of Houston Breast Imaging and breast surgeon Dr. Peter Beitsch of Dallas Surgical Group. The 2012 Clinical Perspectives on PET Mammography (PEM) - An Online Video is a 45 minute presentation eligible for .75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit.  All participants of this activity are required to pass a written test with a minimum score of 70% in order to be awarded credit. 
 

Naviscan Global Footprint Now Close to 60 Sites Worldwide
With a global footprint on four continents, Naviscan high-resolution PET scanners have been installed at 57 customer sites. The majority of our customers are deploying the scanner in their clinical practice while a handful are also conducting clinical research to continue to expand PEM's clinical utility.

 

Feasibility of PEM and Mammography Fusion
Dr. Enrique Estrada-Lobato from the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología in Mexico City (Mexico's NCI) has demonstrated the feasibility of fusing PEM with digital mammography.  As with the advent of PET/CT and PET/MR, fusing PEM with anatomic imaging is an exciting potential development.



Naviscan Awarded 2012 Frost & Sullivan Award for Europe
Frost & Sullivan has awarded Naviscan with the 2012 European Product Quality Leadership Award recognizing that the Naviscan PET scanner offers multiple benefits over competing products.  Specifically, the scanner's game-changing clinical utility in breast cancer care along with the scanner's economic benefits stemming from its portability and small footprint when compared to whole-body scanners. 

Upcoming Presentations
Below is a preliminary list of some recent and upcoming podium presentations:

 - Dr. Frank Müller: PEM-und PEM-gesteuerte Biopsie - ein neues Verfahren zur Brustkrebserkennung und zur therapiekontrolle, German Society of Senology, Stuttgart, Germany - July 6, 2012

- Dr. Kathy Schilling: Positron Emission Mammpgraphy, Sixth International Congress on MR-Mammography, Jena, Germany - September 27, 2012

- Dr.Nicholas Bloch: Positron Emission Mammography, IV Simposio Internacional lde Imágenes Diagnósticas, Medellin, Colombia - September 22, 2012

- Dr. Frank Müller: Positron Emission Mammography (PEM Diagnostic Imaging and Guided Breast Biopsy, European Association of Nulcear Medicine, Milan, Italy - October 31, 2012 

We're Moving!
Effective August  1, 2012 our global corporate headquarters will be moving.  Our new address is:

4401 Eastgate Mall, San Diego, CA 92121

Phone numbers will remain the same:
Domestic: 1-888-628-4159      International: +1-858-587-3641