IC202: Nuclear Medicine in Breast Imaging: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (Iraj Khalkhali, MD, FACR, and Rachel Brem, MD)

The 2008 ARRS Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, on April 13-18, will feature an instructional course entitled, “Nuclear Medicine in Breast Imaging: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow” (IC202). This presentation features Iraj Khalkhali, MD, FACR, who is a professor of radiological sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of the Breast Diagnostic Center and Outpatient Radiology Services at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and Rachel Brem, MD, who is a professor of radiology and director of breast imaging and interventional center and at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, DC. Both presenters are also on the WomensImagingOnline.org advisory panel.

According to Dr. Khalkhali, the course elucidates new advances in nuclear medicine breast imaging, predominantly demonstrating new detection devices, both for single photon and PET imaging. They will also share some of the published data on a multicenter trial for the use of a dedicated PET imager for breast cancer detection.

“We have tried since the early 90s to develop a new technology called “functional breast imaging.” Mammography and ultrasound give us anatomic information, but we need technology such as breast MRI and scintimammography to study the neoplastic and, perhaps in the future, pre-cancerous lesions,” said Dr. Khalkhali.

A highlight of the presentation involves a demonstration of a new double-head gamma camera manufactured by Gamma Medica Ideas in Northridge, CA, in collaboration with scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. This particular camera was able to detect smaller sized breast cancer (higher resolution) than conventional nuclear medicine detectors. In addition, a number of DCIS cases were detected with this camera.

Dr. Khalkhali’s group has recently been awarded a grant from NCI to test more than 600 women using the same camera in three locations: the Mayo Clinic, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Gamma Medica will manufacture and develop three units and install them in the institutions.

“I recommend my colleagues attend this course to gain a better understanding of the future of nuclear medicine in breast cancer detection and the role of this unique technology in women’s healthcare,” said Dr. Khalkhali.

IC202 takes place on Tuesday, April 15, at 8:00 am. For more information about the 2008 ARRS Annual Meeting, visit www.arrs.org/meetings/ano8/.

For more information on the women's imaging instructional courses, visit WIO's ARRS 2008 Annual Meeting Instructional Course Section.