Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Hospital News, September 2007 June 2010 www.hos p ital ne ws .c om Volume 23, Issue 6 PM# 40065412 Oncology • Medical Imaging • Paediatrics Approaches to cancer treatment, diagnosis and prevention. A look at medical imaging techniques for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases. Paediatric programs and developments in the treatment of paediatric disorders including autism. Taking care of the children HRRH Paediatric Asthma Clinic 10 14 Canada’s Health-Care Newspaper Imaging advances in Parkinson’s disease Inside • Natural Path������������13 • Nursing Pulse����������17 • CEO Column�����������21 • Careers��������������������27 More Features • Early detection lung study gives participant a new perspective • New imaging technology catches cancer earlier • Reducing Tunnel Vision • and more Dr. Alexander Rauscher, a physicist and research associate at the UBC MRI Research Centre, developed a new technique to gain better scans for Parkinson’s patients. By Avril Roberts Imaging in Parkinson’s disease diagnosis has been used primarily to rule out conditions that might mimic Parkinson’s. The traditional thinking is that the Parkinson’s brain appears normal in MRI scans. However, scientists at the University of British Columbia (UBC) MRI Research Centre in Vancouver are challenging this view. They are using MRI in a novel way to reveal changes in the Parkinson’s brain that are not detected in conventional scans. Research funded by Parkinson Society Canada is pointing to the possibility of an imaging-based diagnostic tool for Parkinson’s disease, improved guidance for deep brain stimulation surgery, and new ways to measure the progression of Parkinson’s disease in the brain. Dr. Alexander Rauscher, a physicist and research associate at the UBC MRI Research Centre, has developed and validated a new imaging technique that is extremely sensitive to iron, more accurate at assessing iron content, and yields better and sharper images of the brain and veins than can be obtained with conventional MRI scans. This new technique is called susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) with multiple echoes. Excessive iron in the brain has been linked to the death of dopamine-producing brain cells in Parkinson’s disease. With his multi echo SWI method, Rauscher has already found a good correlation between overall iron content in the substantia nigra, which is the area of the brain affected in Parkinson’s disease, and dis- ease severity, as measured by the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). “Using MRI to detect elevated iron content in the substantia nigra, or other brain regions, would provide a new measurement that could lead to earlier diagnosis of Parkinson’s,” says Rauscher. His novel MRI technique has potential for widespread use particularly in other neurological diseases where iron accumulation plays a role. Rauscher’s research on susceptibility weighted imaging with multiple echoes, was published in the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in January 2010. The study was Continues on page 15 Hospital News, June 2010 www.hospitalnews.com 15 Focus: Oncology • Medical Imaging • Paediatrics Brighter future expected with new advances in kidney cancer By Deb Maskens F ive years ago, kidney cancer was in the shadows. A diagnosis of the disease left few options for patients and the average survival time was just 12 months. But through exciting new developments in treating the disease, there is now a brighter outlook for people living with ki dney cancer in Canada. This is critical for a disease that is on the rise in Canada. These developments can be summed up in five words: survival, support, understanding, research, and hope. Survival On average, patients with kidney cancer are living years longer today than ever before. Kidney cancer has few signs and symptoms and is often diagnosed in the late and much more serious stages. Unfortunately, kidney cancer does not respond to convention- al therapies such as chemotherapy or radiation, which makes the need for newer targeted treatments critically important. After 10 years of waiting, the introduction of four new targeted therapies in Canada in the past five years has significantly changed the lives of people with kidney cancer. Support Living with cancer is not just about the medication. Disease management often includes support, education and an inclusive community. Kidney Cancer Canada (KCC) was formed in 2007 to provide that level of support to Canadian kidney cancer patients. KCC (www. kidneycancercanada.ca) is now a registered charity with a strong presence across Canada. Understanding In 2009, KCC established a Medical Advisory Board, comprised of cross-Canada experts from specialties including urology, medical oncology, Imaging advances in Parkinson’s disease radiation oncology and nursing. Their mission is to provide KCC with a dedicated group of medical practitioners focused on kidney cancer research, collaboration, and best practices in patient care, creating a strong connection to build awareness for the disease among healthcare professionals and patients alike. Research Kidney cancer research has come a long way in a short period of time but there is still a long way to go. Increased research funding allows for the development of superior treatments, and more treatment options allow physicians to tailor their care more effectively, ultimately giving patients more time with loved ones. However, a recent report from the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance shows kidney cancer is proportionally and significantly underfunded. Kidney cancer receives less than 1.2 per cent of the $402.4 million invested in cancer research in Canada, even though it accounts for up to three per cent of new cancer cases. To continue on the path of achievement, more dedicated research funding is urgently needed. Hope Research advances have already translated into longer survival, deeper understanding and greater support. Researchers and patients share a greater sense of hope than ever before. Hope that research will continue to deliver breakthroughs in treatment and hope that more Canadians with this rare cancer will have access to this new era of treatments and the hope they bring. To learn more about kidney cancer or find out how you can help make a difference, visit www.kidneycancercanada.ca. Deb Maskens is a writer for Kidney Cancer Canada. Are you a kidney cancer patient or caregiver? Do you need information or support? We can help: 1-866-598-7166 [email protected] www.kidneycancercanada.ca patient information card (print).indd 1 18/08/2009 4:42:10 PM Continued from cover Research Centre, is working with Rauscher to see if iron is deposited in specific patterns in Parkinson’s disease, making the technique even more sensitive. McKeown and colleagues are also using conventional MRI (collected at the same time as the SWI) and novel analysis methods to look for changes in the shape of brain structures in people with Parkinson’s disease. They are then examining whether those shape changes correlate with specific Parkinson’s symptoms and disease severity. “If we can tell, from the change in shape of a part of the brain, whether a person will have more severe tremor, be more rigid, have worsening memory and so on, this may allow us to predict how a person’s Parkinson’s disease will progress,” says McKeown. “One of the challenging things about Parkinson’s disease is that it varies tremendously from person to person. If we could target individuals who are at risk for specific symptoms, we could become more efficient and effective at offering them treatment.” Avril Roberts is a Torontobased health writer. Do you have questions about care services and accommodations for seniors? We can help. By simply calling our 24 hour toll-free line, you can speak with a qualified professional who can help arrange immediate services for seniors. ?cc[Z_Wj[i[d_ehiÉWYYecceZWj_edi 9edlWb[iY[djh[if_j[i[hl_Y[i I^ehjj[hcijWoi 9Wh[]_l[hh[b_[\lWYWj_edijWoi I[Ykh[Zb_l_d]\ehZ[c[dj_WYWh[ ?dj[h_cYWh[m^_b[WmW_j_d]bed]j[hcYWh[ ?d#^ec[YWh[i[hl_Y[i F[hcWd[djh[j_h[c[djh[i_Z[dYo 24-hour personalized information 1-877-929-9222 [email protected] reveraliving.com Revera: Canadian owned since 1961 with over 200 locations. 2445 funded by Parkinson Society Canada. As a direct result of this study, Rauscher and his colleagues have found that the high resolution and high contrast of SWI enables clear visualization of the subthalamic nucleus in MRI. “The subthalamic nucleus is a small structure in the brain and it is a target for deep brain stimulation which alleviates Parkinson’s disease symptoms in some people,” says Rauscher, “but it is difficult to identify in conventional MRI scans.” Reliable, direct targeting of the subthalamic nucleus with clear identification of shape and location could eliminate one step in DBS surgery and dramatically shorten the procedure which typically takes six to eight hours. A research paper on this was published in the Journal of Neuroradiology in 2009. Rauscher presented his findings on iron and UPDRS rating at the joint annual meeting of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine in Stockholm, Sweden, in May 2010. In complementary research, Dr. Martin McKeown, a professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia and clinical director of the Pacific Parkinson’s