CT Lung Cancer Screening Approved by CMS
Automatic side by side comparison with prior cases and findings (top) and Volumetric nodule (bottom)
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved CT lung cancer screening, stating evidence is sufficient to justify screening for high-risk individuals. This decision - long awaited after the USPSTF grade B recommendation last year and the MEDCAC panel hearing in April - will finally clear the path to implement CT based lung cancer screening in the U.S. for the general public.
Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer. It causes more deaths than colon, breast, and pancreatic cancer combined. The prime challenge is that patients often present only when their condition is symptomatic - at a stage, where treatment has become difficult. Results of the U.S. National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) show a 20 percent reduction in mortality due to early detection provided by CT screening. Even though European studies like the Dutch-Belgian "Nelson" are still being evaluated, it is expected that European countries will follow in the near future.
With the CMS decision, lung screening will become available to over 8 million Americans. Providers of imaging services will have to overcome the challenge of handling the related workload. Precise reading tools, standardized reporting and efficient workflows will be needed to ensure diagnostic precision and cost effectiveness.
With Veolity, the medical software specialist MeVis Medical Solutions AG in Bremen/Germany, provides a dedicated workstation for lung cancer screening. Based on leading-edge research, Veolity optimizes reading workflows. It brings together lung CAD – computer-aided detection – of solid pulmonary nodules approved by the FDA, integration and automatic registration of prior studies, and efficient, state-of-the-art reporting. Reports are generated automatically according to current standards and guidelines, including current models for nodule malignancy prediction. Automated measurements, integration of incidental findings, determination of patient follow-up, and integration of screening worklists make the system a complete solution for reading lung screening CT data.
"Making CT lung screening available to high-risk population will be saving thousands of lives every year. We highly welcome this decision, not only because it sparks additional interest in our products, but mainly because of the tremendous benefit for the patients," explains Bernd Kuemmerlen, Product Manager, MeVis Medical Solutions AG. "With Veolity, we aim to make the workload for the radiologists manageable, while at the same time improving quality and thus the benefit for the patient. Finding, measuring and comparing nodules to prior exams manually is tedious work. Veolity automates most of these steps, ensuring diagnostic precision by detecting nodules, providing objective measurements, and comparing with prior findings."
About Veolity
Veolity is the first dedicated workstation for lung cancer screening. Its features include FDA-approved vendor-neutral computer-aided detection (CAD) of lung nodules, automated measuring of nodules, integration and registration of prior studies, and reporting based on standards and guidelines.
Meet MeVis Medical Solutions AG at RSNA 2014
MeVis will showcase Veolity and further solutions for radiologists at booth 2965-F, in hall A, South Building, German Pavilion.
About MeVis Medical Solutions AG
MeVis Medical Solutions AG was founded in 1997 and is one of the world's leading independent developer and provider of medical imaging software with focus on dedicated, disease-oriented clinical applications. MeVis AG has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the Prime Standard segment of the Regulated Market since November 16, 2007. Over the past few years, there has been an enormous increase in the complexity and volume of medical imaging data derived from diagnostic imaging processes such as digital mammography, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound (US). MeVis' products analyze and process this data in such a way as to provide medical professionals with crucial information for early detection, diagnosis and intervention in the areas of cancer and lung diseases as well as neurological disorders. The Company develops its software solutions in close consultation with world's leading medical experts and original equipment manufacturers (OEM) in the medical technology sector and primarily markets this software via these partnerships.