Largest Regional Oncology Group Participates in National Study
Clinicians changed the intended care of more than one in three cancer patients as a result of FDG-PET scan findings, according to a study published online March 24th in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO).
Michiana Hematology Oncology, PC (MHO), a regional oncology group with seven area offices is participating in the National Oncologic PET Registry (NOPR) that contributed FDG-PET scan data analyzed for the study of nearly 23,000 patients nationwide.
“These results are very encouraging,” commented Bilal Ansari, MD of Michiana Hematology Oncology. “We participate in national studies like these so that patients in Michiana will benefit from the latest and most-promising treatment options available.”
FDG-PET, also called PET imaging or PET scan, is a test that shows the differences between healthy tissue and diseased tissue using a small amount of a radioactive chemical which is combined with sugar (FDG). “The ability to distinguish differences in tissue allows us to know more about a patient’s cancer so we can determine the best possible options for care,” added Ansari.
Analysis of the registry data found that FDG-PET is associated with a 36.5% change in the decision of whether, or how to treat a patient’s cancer. “We are pleased to participate in this innovative project and to learn of these positive initial results regarding the important role PET scans play in the management of patient care,” added Greg Quiroz, Radiation Oncology Manager for Michiana Hematology Oncology.
The NOPR was launched in May 2006 in response to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services policy to collect data to inform the Center’s FDG-PET coverage decisions for currently non-covered cancer indications. NOPR is designed to collect questionnaire data from referring physicians on intended patient management before and after an FDG-PET scan. Currently, Medicare covers FDG-PET scans for ovary, uterus, prostate, pancreas, stomach, kidney, bladder cancers only through the NOPR study.
Michiana Hematology Oncology, P.C., established in 1968, is the region’s largest oncology group with fifteen staff oncologists and seven advanced practice nurses, providing medical oncology, radiation oncology, gynecological oncology, and adult hematology services through seven regional offices in North-Central Indiana and Southwestern Lower Michigan.
For more information, please contact Julie Goen, Michiana Hematology Oncology, PC, (574) 204-7776
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