Dear Molecular Imaging Insider,
Amyloid PET scans used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease also may be key for ruling out the disease in select patients, a research team in Boston suggests. In former NFL football players with dementia, a negative scan could make a significant difference in how they are treated and potentially compensated under the NFL’s controversial “concussion settlement,” they wrote. You can read about the research here in this edition’s Insider Exclusive.
In another significant amyloid PET study, researchers offered findings that suggest the exams resulted in fewer hospitalizations for patients with dementia.
Still, PET scans in Alzheimer’s disease patients continue to reveal new avenues for research. For instance, emerging evidence suggests there are differences in brain pathology in men and women with the disease. Meanwhile, the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) launched its latest study – ADNI-4 – with an increased commitment to enroll a more diverse population to reflect more “real world” findings in clinical trials.
Speaking of PET scans, a group in Germany suggests that ChatGPT may substitute for staff advice for patients prior to imaging.
In other coverage, experts recently suggested that the hype is over for PET/MRI. On that note, we highlighted a study that suggests gallium-68 (Ga-68) prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-11 PET/CT and Ga-68 PSMA-11 PET/MRI appear to be equivalent in detecting biochemically recurrent prostate cancer.
We also covered several case reports, given certain rare findings. A group in Australia, for instance, described discovering a nonprostatic lung tumor during a prostate cancer restaging PET/CT scan. Also, regarding prostate cancer imaging, we covered an article that asked, “Is Pylarify better than Ga-68 PSMA-11 prior to Pluvicto treatment?” Subtle differences exist, researchers found.
Finally, we noted that NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes will shut down its molybdenum-99 production facilities in Beloit, WI, by the end of 2023, citing increasing costs and competition.
That’s all for now. For more news, be sure to check in regularly with our Molecular Imaging Community.
