Nuclear Medicine & Radiation Therapy

Biography

Biography: Jun Deng

Abstract

Medical imaging has revolutionized medical practices in the past hundred years, particularly in the radiotherapeutic management of cancers where anatomical and functional imaging procedures are applied routinely in the clinic worldwide for more precise tumor targeting and better soft tissue visualization. Yet, driven largely by technological advances as well as a fee-for-service healthcare model, the use of medical imaging modalities in cancer diagnosis and radiotherapy has increased dramatically in the past thirty years. Moreover, while modern cancer therapy is shifting toward individualized treatments based on patient-specific biology, the application of imaging procedures in cancer radiotherapy remains non-personalized: a ‘one-protocol-fits-all’ practice is often applied in the clinic worldwide. Essentially, the imaging protocols provided by manufacturers are uniformly applied without considering individual differences of patients being scanned. As such, radiation exposure to individuals from medical imaging nowadays has increased over 8 times since 1980, which may become a serious public health concern due to increased secondary cancer risk. Whether to image and how to image an individual patient is not only an ongoing technical issue but also becoming an ethical concern in the clinic. In meeting these challenges, personalized imaging protocol could assist clinicians in making the best use of medical imaging with their patients worldwide. This lecture will address the trend and issues of medical imaging in the US and around the world, and highlight approaches to apply medical imaging more conscientiously in the clinic to minimize radiation exposure and cancer risk, reduce medical costs and improve patient care.