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- Edition 6 - FDA Approves Game-Changing Therapy, 10-Year Breast Cancer Breakthrough, & AI's Radiology Revolution
Edition 6 - FDA Approves Game-Changing Therapy, 10-Year Breast Cancer Breakthrough, & AI's Radiology Revolution
Explore cutting-edge cancer treatments, long-term breast cancer survival, and why AI is taking over the headlines in radiology.
FDA clears latest Ethos Therapy System
Radiotherapy benefits of breast cancer last a decade
AI in radiology receives more positive coverage in U.S. news media
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Specialty: Radiotherapy // Sub-Specialty: Equipment // Body Site: All
1. FDA clears latest Ethos Therapy System
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Siemens Healthineers 510(k) authorisation for the addition of new functionality to its Ethos therapy system, which introduces a more efficient workflow, advanced algorithms for the Ethos Intelligent Optimization Engine and AI-segmentation of anatomical structures.
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Paul’s Thoughts:
After Elekta's recent release of the Evo, a rival therapy system for online adaptive radiotherapy, Varian has responded with Ethos 2.0. To date, Varian has dominated the CBCT-based online adaptive space and this update aims to consolidate their position at the top of the field. With 17 sec CBCT acquisitions and AI autosegmentation in 15-30 sec, plan generation in 2.5 min, QA in 2 min and treatment in 2 min, they promise to deliver adapted treatments within the regular 15 min treatment slot (by comparison Elekta promise a 20-min delivery). With automated dose accumulation and forecasting to monitor treatment delivery, Ethos now offers the option of delivery of an adapted or non-adapted plan, something that previously was only possible with Elekta's Evo. The community awaits to see how Elekta will respond to this upgrade.
Timescale: Acute | 0 Years
Specialty: Radiotherapy // Sub-Specialty: Prognosis // Body Site: Breast
2. Radiotherapy benefits of breast cancer last a decade
Surgery followed by radiotherapy remains the standard care for women with early-stage breast cancer. In a study of 585 women who received treatment for early-stage breast cancer in Scotland, known as the Scottish Breast Conservation Trial, half received radiotherapy and half not. With an average follow-up period of 18 years (some as much as 30 years), there was recurrence within 10 years in the same location for 16% of those who had radiotherapy, compared to 36% of those who did not have radiotherapy. Despite a reduction in cancer recurrence, survival rates did not improve with radiotherapy treatment: average overall survival rates after 30 years were similar for those who received postoperative radiotherapy and those who did not – 19.2 years and 18.7 years, respectively. There were fewer deaths from breast cancer among those who received radiotherapy than those who did not – 37% versus 46%. By contrast, there were more deaths from other cancers in the group who received radiotherapy – 20% versus 11%.
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Paul’s Thoughts:
Understanding the long-term impact of radiotherapy is increasingly important, as improvements in the detection and treatment of early-stage cancer mean that patients are living longer. The evidence from this critical study suggests that radiotherapy protects against cancer returning in the same breast for up to 10 years. It supports the continued use of radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery for most patients with early breast cancer. However, like other anti-cancer treatments, radiotherapy loses its beneficial effects in the long term.
Timescale: Acute | 0 Years
Specialty: Radiology // Sub-Specialty: AI // Body Site: All
3. AI in radiology receives more positive coverage in U.S new media.
A study led by researchers at Mayo Clinic evaluated the frequency and content of U.S. media coverage on AI and radiology, including news articles published between 1998 and 2023. The final analysis included 379 news articles, including full-length articles, news briefs and editorials. Of these, 151 were about AI tools and products pertaining to radiology. Other articles contained information on general references to AI (n = 182), AI products and tools not pertaining to radiology (n = 23), and AI company financial news (n = 23). Of the total articles included, 154 had radiology as the primary focus. The news articles were split on whether AI alone is better than AI used alongside radiologists, with 101 articles (27%) suggesting that AI is better and 75 articles (20%) suggesting that combining it with radiologists is better. Around 76% of the total articles (n = 289) highlighted AI’s benefits, including improved detection of diseases, improved treatment and patient management, and assistance with radiology workload, among others. Meanwhile, 46% of the articles (n = 176) mentioned potential risks associated with AI’s use, such as potential job loss, lack of trust, and concerns related to data privacy and sharing.
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Paul’s Thoughts:
One of the striking findings from this study was that Radiologists were not interviewed or quoted in 68% of the news articles (n = 258). This is concerning as radiologists have a broad overview of the role of AI in the field and can provide useful insights into the current and future roles of AI in the specialty.
Additionally, in practice, many radiologists use AI as an additional tool to assist in their work and consider themselves to have a synergistic relationship with AI. However, some media coverage has focused on an imagined superiority of AI systems and a future replacement of radiologists by AI, which is something that needs to be addressed in mainstream media outlets.
Timescale: Acute | 0 Years
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