[ RadSafe ] CT Screening Detected Radiologist's Kidney Cancer Early

[John Jacobus]

Dr. Looney,
I do not know what party line I am quoting.  I was
asked for my opinion, which I provided.  The question
concerned asymptomatic patients.  I assume that you
had sceduled Nancy Greene for a CT scan because she
had some medical reason.  I do not what the AFIO is. 
Are they a group that oppose nuclear energy?

There is no question that there are patients that have
occult diseases.  However, it appears that the
statistic probablity of improving the public health is
served by self-referral CT scanning is dubious.  Could
you guarentee that if Nancy Greene's cancer was
detected in 2002, she would have survived?  What if
her cancer was apparent on a CT scan until 2003?

I certainly did not imply that radiologist are behind
some scheme to make money off of CT scanning. 
However, when the ACR comes out against the practice,
I would assume that carries a great deal of weight in
the medical profession.

http://www.acr.org

ACR Statement on CT Screening Exams
(supercedes statement of Sept. 27, 2000)

The American College of Radiology (ACR) recognizes
that an increasing number of computed tomography (CT)
screening examinations are being performed in the
United States. Much CT screening is targeted at
specific diseases, such as lung scanning for cancer in
current and former smokers, coronary artery calcium
scoring as a predictor of cardiac events and CT
colonography (virtual colonoscopy) for colon cancer.
Early data suggest that these targeted examinations
may be clinically valid. Large, prospective,
multicenter trials are currently under way or in the
planning phase to evaluate whether these screening
exams reduce the rate of mortality.

The ACR, at this time, does not believe there is
sufficient evidence to justify recommending total body
CT screening for patients with no symptoms or a family
history suggesting disease. To date, there is no
evidence that total body CT screening is cost
efficient or effective in prolonging life. In
addition, the ACR is concerned that this procedure
will lead to the discovery of numerous findings that
will not ultimately affect patients' health but will
result in unnecessary follow-up examinations and
treatments and significant wasted expense.

The ACR will continue to monitor scientific studies
concerning these procedures.

September 28, 2002

--- howard long <hflong at pacbell.net> wrote:

> From:"DR. GERALD LOONEY" <docger at hotmail.com>  Add
> to Address Book  Add Mobile Alert
> To:hflong at pacbell.netSubject:RE: CT screening of
> symptomless personsDate:Fri, 04 Nov 2005 21:36:04
> -0800 [input]   [input]   [input]   [input]  
> Howard, there are a couple of Letters to New York
> Times and Wall Street Journal on this exact topic at
>   www.sepp.org/weekwas/2004/Sept.18htm   or you can
> do a search on my name and find other material. 
> John Jacobus is quoting party line, and it was party
> line which caused Nancy Greene's untimely death (I
> had her scheduled for a full-body scan in 2002 and
> her physicist friends in AFIO talked her out of
> it--until she finally became symptomatic nearly a
> year later, and the cancer had already spread beyond
> the bladder).  It is a red herring and really fishy
> to claim that the only motivation and justification
> to do CT screening is to make money for imaging
> radiologists.  That was the best money I ever spent,
> and now I can't get a followup scan because the
> screening CT clinic is closed.  Radiologists and
> Health Physicists are a PARADOX (MD+PhD) because
> they claim they are following PRIMUM NON NOCERE with
> their timid party line, and by that very act they
> are causing harm thru omission of
>  low-level screening.  Please transmit my views to
> Dr. K.S.Parthasarathy and anyone else you think
> might be educable.  Gerry 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ---------------------------------
> 
> From:  howard long <hflong at pacbell.net>
> To:  "DR. GERALD LOONEY" <docger at hotmail.com>
> Subject:  CT screening of symptomless persons
> Date:  Fri, 4 Nov 2005 15:29:49 -0800 (PST)
> 
> 
> Gerry,
> 
> Do you have professionl comment about CT screening
> for this health physicist list?
> 
> Howard Long
> 
> John Jacobus <crispy_bird at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2005 14:35:41 -0800 (PST)
> From: John Jacobus <crispy_bird at yahoo.com>
> To: parthasarathy k s <ksparth at yahoo.co.uk>
> CC: radsafe at radlab.nl
> Subject: [ RadSafe ] Re: CT screening of symptomless
> persons
> 


+++++++++++++++++++
On Oct. 5, 1947, in the first televised White House address, President Truman asked Americans to refrain from eating meat on Tuesdays and poultry on Thursdays to help stockpile grain for starving people in Europe. 

-- John
John Jacobus, MS
Certified Health Physicist
e-mail:  crispy_bird at yahoo.com

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