Radiology in public focus
Press releases were sent to the medical news media for the following articles appearing in recent issues of RSNA Journals.
Brain Volume Changes Seen in Opioid Users
Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine found structural and functional alterations in specific brain regions of individuals with opioid use disorder. The study’s results were published in Radiology.
Saloni Mehta, MBBS, postdoctoral associate in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the Yale School of Medicine, and colleagues conducted a secondary analysis of data from the National Institutes of Health-funded Collaboration Linking Opioid Use Disorder and Sleep Study (CLOUDS), comparing participants with opioid use disorder on methadone treatment and healthy controls.
“We found that alteration patterns in the medial prefrontal cortex—a core region involved in many mental health conditions—were different between men and women in the group with opioid use disorder,” Dr. Mehta said. “This highlights the importance of assessing sex differences in opioid use disorder neuroimaging studies.”
Read the related RSNA News story.
Late-Stage Breast Cancer Diagnosis on the Rise in U.S.
The number of women with late-stage, invasive breast cancer at the time of diagnosis increased significantly among U.S. women across all ages and ethnicities between 2004 and 2021, according to a study published in Radiology.
Researchers analyzed the latest available Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data on annual stage-specific breast cancer incidence. SEER data is collected from 22 population-based cancer registries covering approximately 48% of the U.S. population.
The biggest annual percentage increase in the incidence of metastatic breast cancer at diagnosis occurred in women between the ages of 20 and 39 (2.9%).
For women aged 40–74 years, the researchers observed annual percentage increases of 2.1% and 2.7%, respectively, during two time periods from 2004–2012 and 2018–2021. For women aged 75 years and older, the incidence rate increased by 1.4% over the study period.
“The significant increase in metastatic disease at diagnosis among all U.S. women and across all age groups is an alarming new finding,” said lead author R. Edward Hendrick, PhD, clinical professor, department of radiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine.
Read the related RSNA News story.
Prepare Your Patients for Colorectal Screening
In recognition of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March, RSNA is distributing public service announce1]ments (PSAs) to inform patients about associated risk factors including age, family history and personal medical history, and available screening methods such as CT colonography.
Many patients don’t realize that colon cancer is highly treatable if detected early. Encourage your patients to schedule their next colorectal screening and to visit RadiologyInfo.org for information on how to prepare. The public information website is produced by RSNA and ACR and offers easy-to-read patient information about colorectal cancer, including available screening exams, treatment options and follow-up.
Follow RadiologyInfo.org on social media at Facebook (facebook.com/RadiologyInfo), Instagram (@radinfo4patients), X (@radiology-info_) and Bluesky (@radiologyinfo.bsky.social).
Highlights from RSNA 2024 Media Coverage
In November, 10,406 RSNA-related news stories were tracked in the media. These stories had over 11.4 billion audience impressions. Of five RSNA 2024 press releases issued ahead of the annual meeting, the top three for media placements to date include:
- Vaping Causes Immediate Effects on Vascular Function (1,176 placements)
Following inhalation of each type of vaping or smoking, there was a significant decrease in the resting blood flow velocity in the superficial femoral artery. Decreased venous oxygen saturation was also present in vapers, whether or not the e-cigarettes contained nicotine, suggesting an immediate decrease in the uptake of oxygen by the lungs after vaping.
- Concussions Slow Brain Activity of High School Football Players (1,061 placements)
Researchers found that high school football players who sustained concussions displayed slowed aperiodic activity. Aperiodic slowing was strongly associated with worse post-concussion cognitive symptoms and test scores and was present in areas of the brain that contain chemicals linked with concussion symptoms like impaired concentration and memory.
- Common Thyroid Medicine Linked to Bone Loss (751 placements)
Researchers found that levothyroxine, the second most commonly prescribed medication among older adults in the U.S., may be associated with greater loss of total body bone mass and bone density.