Image and Data Infrastructure System used for Randomized PET/CT Bone Imaging Clinical Trial

An image and data infrastructure system is being utilized to help in a U.S. positron emission/computed tomography (PET/CT) bone imaging clinical trial.

American College of Radiology's (ACR; Philadelphia, PA, USA) Image Metrix has been chosen by the Academy of Molecular Imaging (AMI; Los Angeles, CA, USA) to provide data and image storage infrastructure for a new study to compare the effectiveness of conventional planar ^99mTc-MDP bone imaging with ¹⁸F-sodium fluoride PET/CT (¹⁸F-NaF) at detecting bony metastases in patients with breast, prostate, and nonsmall-cell lung cancers.

The protocol was developed in conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and calls for data collection on more than 500 patients at 13 sites in the United States. "Just as early detection of cancer is important, early detection of any spread of a cancer is vitally important to determining the best and most timely treatment for patients. PET and PET/CT are serving an increasingly important role in this care. Each refinement in care can make a big difference in the success of treatment for additional patients. ACR Image Metrix is proud to serve such a significant role in this important trial as the selected CRO [Contract Research Organization],” said ACR Image Metrix chief scientific officer Bruce J. Hillman, M.D., FACR, who worked with AMI investigators to develop the protocol for the research.

Cancer patients undergo more than two million planar ^99mTc-MDP scans per year to determine whether cancer has metastasized from the organ of primary diagnosis to their bones. However, the scan may miss some disease. ¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT bone scanning may have advantages over the traditional method in that it is frequently able to find smaller metastases and differentiate more accurately between cancerous and noncancerous conditions.

"ACR Image Metrix is unique in the CRO landscape regarding its ability to assist in protocol development then transmit, archive, and retrieve imaging data for such important trials. We are proud of our ability to substantively contribute to advances in patient care by providing significant infrastructure for cutting edge medical research,” said Michal Morales, general manager of ACR Image Metrix.

ACR Image Metrix, located in the American College of Radiology Clinical Research Center in Philadelphia PA, USA, applies imaging techniques as a predictive and prognostic biomarker improving the efficiency for drug development programs.

Related Links:
American College of Radiology
Academy of Molecular Imaging