According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the segment of the U.S. nonvascular interventional radiology device market with the fastest growth and greatest potential is ablation devices, comprising radiofrequency (RF) ablation, cryoablation and microwave ablation devices. The overall market will grow moderately to $295 million by 2017.

Apollo Hospitals, India's leading healthcare provider, in its yet another initiative to bring the best healthcare practices to India, announced its plans to establish a Proton Therapy Center in India, the first of its kind across South East Asia, Africa and Australia. This launch, which marks the beginning of the next wave of advancement in radiation therapy in India, is worth approximately Rs. 400 crores, which covers the equipment and services supplied by Ion Beam Applications S.A. (IBA) to help establish the Apollo Proton Therapy Center including the long-term operation and maintenance contract.

An innovative modification of a treatment chair used with cancer patients allows those who have problems lying down during procedures to sit upright, providing greater comfort. The modified chair was developed to be used for proton therapy but can also be used in conventional radiation therapy, providing the chair can be attached to a robotic positioner.

Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI), also known as Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI), is a procedure that is able to detect breast cancers missed by mammography and ultrasound, particularly in women with dense breasts. The MBI procedure is now available in hundreds of breast centers nationwide and is commonly utilized as a tool along with mammography and ultrasound to help in the diagnosis of breast cancer. Although the radiation dose associated with this procedure is already low enough to be used in select cases, new research is being conducted to find ways to reduce the dose further so that MBI may be used in annual breast cancer screening for high-risk women with dense breast tissue. The latest results from this research were presented at the Chicago International Breast Course in October by Marcela Bohm-Velez, M.D., the principal investigator of an ongoing trial at Weinstein Imaging Associates in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Testing of a compact cancer treatment technology from ProTom International Inc. has demonstrated that the system achieves its design specification: delivering high-energy protons to isocenter at a beam intensity sufficient for standard clinical practice.