Tumor Imaging Research in the Tumor Imaging Program focuses on the use of medical imaging for the diagnosis, treatment and assessment of response to therapy of tumors. The overall goal of the members of this program is to develop new approaches to use medical imaging in cancer research and to extend current imaging capabilities to optimize diagnosis, staging, treatment and assessment of response to therapy. There are 3 major overlapping themes within the Program's research. The first theme is Metabolic Imaging. Highlighted research areas within this theme include investigators assessing response to therapy as well as others exploring novel molecular imaging agents. The second theme is Imaging in Radiation Oncology. Highlighted research areas within this theme include evaluation of approaches to enhance the precision of image-guided radiation therapy, and studies exploring approaches to enhance quantitative imaging of oxidative metabolism. The third theme is diagnostic imaging. Highlighted research areas in this theme involve study of neuroendocrine tumor and imaging of lung nodules. Members of the program have been successful in supporting the University of lowa Imaging Response Assessment Team and recently obtained an NCI U01 entitled """"""""Quantitative Imaging to Assess Response in Cancer Therapy Trials"""""""". There are numerous past and present productive collaborations both between members of the Tumor Imaging Program, and with members of other Cancer Center programs. The program consists of 26 members from 2 basic science and 4 clinical departments in 2 Colleges. Peer-reviewed, research funding for this program totals $5,394,961 with $1,035,638 coming from the NCI. Program members published 184 cancer related papers over the prior funding period. Of these publications, 23% were intraprogrammatic. 15% were interprogrammatic and 18% were both intra and interprogrammatic, for a total of 56% collaborative publications.
Advanced medical imaging has become increasingly, important in helping us understand cancer biology and is absolutely essential in the initial assessment of cancer patients, their treatment and response during therapy. The research being conducted is to optimize the utility of imaging and to develop new approaches that will be more accurate in diagnosis and in tumor response assessment early in the course of therapy.
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