Watch the Lancet Oncology Commission on Medical and Nuclear Imaging Session, Read Related White Papers

Mar 04, 2021

Lancet Oncology Commission on Medical Imaging and Nuclear Medicine coverOn March 4, a meeting of the Lancet Oncology Commission on Medical and Nuclear Imaging, of which ASCO is a part, took place as part of the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) 2021.

The meeting was in the form of an online session, “Lancet Oncology - Ensuring sustainable healthcare systems: The Lancet Oncology Commission on Medical Imaging and Nuclear Medicine,” which is available on demand. The session is open access and does not require an ECR 2021 ticket.

In conjunction with this session, a white paper was published that reports on the results of an assembly of the commission at the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting and resulting actions.

The white paper details the use of imaging equipment—and the workforce that runs it—around the world, using a database created by the International Atomic Energy Agency with input from the commission’s members. The authors extensively reviewed issues surrounding effective clinical use of cancer imaging, including infrastructure, safety precautions, and equipment maintenance; the importance of teaching, training, and research in global networks; and the potential impact of digital technologies on access to imaging. The authors also examine the impact of imaging on health outcomes globally, with the positive results supporting an economic case for more investment in imaging, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

This is the third white paper stemming from the meeting; in August 2020, two papers were published in The Lancet Oncology, “Estimating the impact of treatment and imaging modalities on 5-year net survival of 11 cancers in 200 countries: a simulation-based analysis” and “The role and contribution of treatment and imaging modalities in global cervical cancer management: survival estimates from a simulation-based analysis.” These two papers demonstrate the methodology that is used for assessing the health outcome benefits of investing in three areas of cancer care: imaging, comprehensive cancer treatment, and quality of care—particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

“We are grateful that Lancet authorized their Oncology Commission on Medical Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, as these modalities are so critical for cancer screening, initial staging, and treatment evaluations,” said ASCO’s commission representative and JCO Global Oncology board member Lawrence N. Shulman, MD, FASCO. “This sharp focus on stratified approaches to imaging based on a country’s resources will greatly aid those of us who are helping the in the development of cancer programs in low- and middle-income countries and will be essential for the Ministries of Health in these countries.”

Two more case studies are being prepared, one on lung cancer and one on breast cancer.

View the session program and instructions for registering and viewing.

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