Studies published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology the Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Cancer analyzed data from more than 41,000 NOPR cases and found that results of PET scans led to an intended change in cancer management of nearly 40 percent of patients. Approximately 10 percent of all Medicare covered PET scans in 2007 were performed under the auspices of the NOPR.

"For a great many patients, who would otherwise have to pay out-of-pocket for their PET scans, this CMS decision will save thousands of dollars. It will also allow more providers to offer this life-saving care to our nation's seniors," stated R. Edward Coleman, M.D., member of the NOPR working group, former chair of the ACR Nuclear Medicine Guidelines and Standards Committee, and chief of Nuclear Medicine at Duke University Hospital.


The NOPR was launched in May 2006. The ACR and ACRIN worked to develop the NOPR in collaboration with registry sponsor, the Academy for Molecular Imaging since CMS announced its intent to support a PET registry in January 2005. The American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Society for Nuclear Medicine also have played key roles in guiding the project's development.

FDG-PET, also called PET imaging or PET scan, is a test that images the function of cells to show differences between healthy tissue and diseased tissue. It uses a small amount of a radioactive chemical which is combined with sugar. This combination is called FDG, so the test is sometimes called an FDG-PET scan. It is used to evaluate various neurological and cardiac disorders, as well as for diagnosing, staging, and monitoring the treatment of many different cancers.

For more information about the NOPR please visit www.cancerpetregistry.org.

For more information about positron emission tomography (PET), please visit www.radiologyinfo.org.

The ACR is a national, professional organization serving nearly 33,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists, nuclear medicine physicians, and medical physicists with programs focusing on the practice of radiology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.

Source: ACR


SNM Calls CMS PET Scan Decision a Major Benefit for Cancer Patients

National Oncologic PET Registry Provided Overwhelming Evidence of PET's Value

Reston, Va.-SNM applauds today's (4/6/09) decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to expand coverage of positron emission tomography (PET) scans in the initial treatment strategy of patients with cancer. This decision was based, in large part, on compelling clinical evidence of the effectiveness of PET for cancer management and treatment contained in a comprehensive study known as the National Oncologic PET Registry (NOPR).

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