Siemens, Nov 30, 2015 -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared Siemens Healthcare's SOMATOM computed tomography (CT) systems for low-dose lung cancer screening. Siemens now offers the industry's most comprehensive approach to low-dose lung cancer screening -- both on all of Siemens' new CT scanners sold as well as on the company's installed base of non-end-of-support systems – using standard low-dose lung protocols that are already delivered on Siemens CT scanners. From the SOMATOM Scope 16-slice CT system to the ultra-premium SOMATOM Force, Siemens now makes low-dose lung cancer screening broadly available to its customers.

"Lung cancer screening represents one of the most significant opportunities to improve population health through earlier detection and improved follow-up opportunities for high-risk patients," said David Pacitti, President of Siemens Healthcare North America. "That's why Siemens pursued the most expansive indication for lung cancer screening, bringing this valuable tool to all varieties of our current SOMATOM CT scanners."

Obtaining this indication for low-dose CT lung cancer screening is a milestone not just for Siemens Healthcare, but for CT as an imaging modality. With this indication, an imaging modality that has long been a benchmark diagnostic tool for symptomatic patients is becoming a viable screening tool for a subset of high-risk asymptomatic patients. For the right patient population, this technology can have a significant impact on mortality for a disease that is often diagnosed too late.
The indication for low-dose lung cancer screening is available for the following CT systems: SOMATOM Force, SOMATOM Definition Flash, SOMATOM Definition Edge, SOMATOM Definition AS/AS+, SOMATOM Perspective, SOMATOM Scope, and the SOMATOM Emotion 16.

Siemens' portfolio of CT systems offers solutions for low-dose lung imaging from screening to detection to diagnosis. With its FAST (Fully Assisting Scanner Technologies) features, Siemens optimizes CT acquisition by reducing user variability. For instance, with FAST Planning, technologists can set an optimum range for scan settings that avoids cut-offs or excessive radiation. These automated settings optimize workflow and increase reproducibility – a key factor with regular screenings of lung cancer patients. And with its CARE (Combined Applications to Reduce Exposure) feature, Siemens delivers a consistent, reproducible approach to optimizing radiation dose in scan parameters that supports efficient clinical workflow. Features in the SOMATOM portfolio also aid the radiologist in reporting dose and sharing findings within the interdisciplinary lung cancer team.

More HCB News