International Day of Radiology 2018
Published on: 8 November 2018Advances in radiology continue to improve diagnosis, staging and monitoring of lymphoma.
On International Day of Radiology, Lymphoma Action would like to acknowledge the advances in radiology (medical imaging) that continue to improve diagnosis, staging and monitoring of lymphoma. We are proud to work with Consultant Radiologists across the UK to produce our Information Standard accredited patient information on the use of radiology in lymphoma.
Did you know clinical trials don’t have to be about testing a new drug? They can also be to test how effectively we measure the response to treatment, for example the recent study of isatin sulfonamide in PET scans.
Radiology is integral to delivering high quality evidence-based care to people with lymphoma. It plays an invaluable role throughout the patient journey; from accurately assessing the spread of disease and any complications that may have arisen, before starting treatment, to assessing the success of treatment (usually with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy) whilst still having it or after finishing it.The introduction of FDG PET-CT imaging has revolutionised the management of Hodgkin lymphoma as well as influenced aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma and follicular lymphoma management. In Hodgkin lymphoma, the ability of FDG PET-CT, performed whilst having chemotherapy, to help predict eventual outcome, underpins the indispensable role it now plays in deciding whether further chemotherapy, a different kind of chemotherapy, and/or radiotherapy is required or not. It has helped us enter the new era of personalised medicine.
* MRI scanner image courtesy of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust