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One-Stop CT Chest Screening, Longevity Scans, and ASTRO 2026 News
September 28, 2026
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Together with
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“[T]he paradigm of ‘symptoms first, imaging later’ is in many ways a historical accident. It has been the pattern since Roentgen’s discovery of X-rays, in 1896. Soon after that discovery, a physician used X-rays to find buckshot in the hand of an unfortunate hunting-accident victim. Medical imaging was born as a detective’s tool. Nothing in the physics of imaging says it has to stay one, though.”
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Daniel Sodickson, MD, PhD, chief medical scientist at Function Health.
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AI for echocardiography can be a transformative technology that enables practices to operate more efficiently while reducing ergonomic issues for sonographers. Learn more about implementation of Us2.ai’s AI echo technology in this conversation with Michael Denning, imaging manager at a major cardiology practice. This marks our 300th episode of The Imaging Wire Show – thanks to everyone for watching over the years. – Brian Casey, Managing Editor
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Could opportunistic screening be driving the evolution of low-dose CT from a screening test just for lung cancer into a broader one-stop exam for multiple chest pathologies? A new study in JACR suggests as much – and provides a blueprint for how to do it.
There’s no question LDCT lung cancer screening is gaining traction around the world. But as screening programs are starting, clinicians are finding that CT scans can detect far more than just lung cancer.
- Emphysema, commonly associated with COPD, is one such condition, as it goes hand-in-hand with lung cancer in people with long smoking histories. Another is coronary artery calcium (CAC), a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
In the new study, researchers wanted to investigate the prevalence of COPD and CAC in their LDCT screening program covering three hospitals in the NewYork-Presbyterian system.
- In addition to documenting prevalence rates, they wanted to connect clinical outcomes to social determinants of health, which have been demonstrated to affect patient care.
They tracked results from 2.4k people who got baseline LDCT scans from 2015 to 2022, finding…
- Emphysema was detected in 77% of patients, and CAC in 65%.
- 87% of patients with emphysema had no previous diagnosis.
- The proportion of patients getting pulmonary care after their LDCT scan increased (from 24% to 46%), as did the rate of those getting cardiovascular care (from 43% to 63%).
- Lower household income was associated with 57% higher adjusted odds of emphysema, and food insecurity with 52% higher odds.
- No social determinants of health were associated with CAC burden.
It’s worth noting that the study did not use any IT tools to classify COPD and CAC, like AI image analysis or longitudinal tracking and reporting.
- It’s entirely possible that the results could be even more promising given the plethora of algorithms that have become available for opportunistic screening applications.
The Takeaway
The new study on incidental CAC and emphysema findings on LDCT exams shows that lung screening has the potential for opportunistic disease detection even if you don’t have fancy AI algorithms at your disposal. All you need are radiologists and clinical staff dedicated to providing better patient care.
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A New Resource for Radiology Jobs
Check out the new Job Boards from Medality to gain access to newly posted positions for radiologists, residents, and fellows. If you’re an employer, post your first job for free to reach Medality’s network of over 40,000 monthly users.
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Reporting Is Radiology’s Next Transformation
While AI’s role in diagnostic imaging is well-established, one part of the workflow has remained largely unchanged despite its central role: the report. Read this article from DeepHealth to learn more about radiology’s next transformation.
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How QITA Improved Radiologist Productivity
Quantum Imaging & Therapeutic Associates (QITA) faced inefficiencies in their reporting processes, manually transposing ultrasound and DEXA measurements into reports. Find out how they turned to Altamont Software’s DICOM Structured Report integration to improve radiologist productivity.
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- Managing LDCT Incidental Findings: One of low-dose CT lung cancer screening’s major challenges is managing incidental findings. In a paper in Lung Cancer, U.K. researchers describe their approach to managing 15.5k LDCT scans as part of a lung screening program. In all, 1k patients (6.8%) had incidental findings, of which 28% led to new diagnoses, with 4.9% getting medical treatment and 1.4% undergoing surgery. Coronary artery calcium “was common and undertreated,” underscoring a modifiable risk that could be incorporated into lung screening programs.
- Pros and Cons of Whole-Body MRI Screening: Whole-body MRI (WB-MRI) screening is becoming increasingly popular with the longevity health crowd, but most radiologists still aren’t sure what to make of it. An AJR expert panel took a deeper dive, reviewing WB-MRI’s pros and cons – especially for multicancer detection – in a new article. WB-MRI can detect malignancies earlier and also has applications in body composition and neurovascular screening. Its pitfalls include incidental findings and ethical issues, but given its rapid growth it’s a trend radiologists can’t ignore. The panel recommends prospective trials to assess its clinical benefit and cost-effectiveness, while communicating WB-MRI results clearly with patients.
- Neko Opens New York City Center: Speaking of longevity health and preventive screening, Neko Health last week opened its first U.S. center, in New York City. The opening marks the start of the company’s effort to bring its preventive health concept to the world’s largest market, after first growing the business in Sweden and the U.K. Neko plans to roll out additional centers offering its Neko Health Scan across the U.S., and it has the funds to do it: the firm raised $700M in a Series C round in July.
- Breaking News from ASTRO 2026: This weekend marked the kickoff of ASTRO 2026 in Boston, with attendees learning of new advances in radiation therapy. A brief round of ultralow-dose radiation therapy relieved painful bone lesions from multiple myeloma for most patients, while a low-dose radiation protocol slowed progression of knee osteoarthritis. And a nationwide analysis found many patients with early-stage breast cancer don’t stay on long-term hormone therapy if they don’t also get radiation therapy.
- Siemens Launches New Linac at ASTRO: In vendor news from ASTRO 2026, Siemens Healthineers launched a new linear accelerator for radiation therapy. Called Accela, the system is based on the company’s new NeoArc dynamic modulated arc therapy (DMAT) technology. NeoArc is designed to rapidly deliver precise radiation treatments, and can perform complex stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in as little as 60 seconds. It also includes a newly designed multileaf collimator and large HyperSight cone-beam CT detector. Accela is pending 510(k) clearance.
- Sun Nuclear Previews Linac Software: Sun Nuclear is giving ASTRO 2026 attendees a preview of a new software platform it is developing for managing quality assurance (QA) data across vendors and sites in what it’s calling a linac health command center. Sun is also highlighting its Plan AI solution for radiation treatment planning, Daily QA 4 Pro for machine QA, and AdaptCHECK for radiation therapy workflows customized for patients. The company is also discussing theranostics workflows.
- Mevion Touts Upright Proton Therapy: Mevion Medical Systems is using ASTRO 2026 to highlight the ability of its Mevion S250-FIT proton therapy system to perform proton treatment with patients in the upright position. The technique works with Leo Cancer Care’s Marie upright positioning and imaging solution and RaySearch Laboratories’ RayStation treatment planning software. Upright proton therapy reduces equipment size, cost and infrastructure, and Stanford Medicine performed the first upright treatment session in June.
- Are Payors Gaming the IDR System? Amid controversy over high costs of the independent dispute resolution (IDR) process in the No Surprises Act, the ACR and other physician specialist groups sent an analysis to Congress laying the blame mostly on insurance companies. Payors make bad-faith offers of $1 on many IDR claims, limit their provider networks unnecessarily, and fail to negotiate fair rates with physicians. This drives IDR volume before disputes ever begin.
- AdvaHealth Viewer Gets FDA Clearance: Software developer AdvaHealth received FDA clearance for AdvaView, a cloud-native, zero-footprint diagnostic viewer based on technology the company acquired through its purchase of FlexView from Radical Imaging earlier this year. AdvaHealth integrated the viewer with its AdvaPACS platform to combine image management, radiology workflow, and enterprise imaging in a single environment.
- Pulmera Picks Up Grant: More 2D C-arm models could soon be easily transformed into 3D imaging systems thanks to Pulmera’s receipt of an NIH Small Business Innovation Research grant for its CBeam platform. Fresh off the announcement of its FDA 510(k) clearance in June, Pulmera plans to use the two-year $2.25M grant to improve lung nodule targeting and biopsy with the technology, as research has shown CT-guided bronchoscopy can boost diagnostic yields to 95%. Pulmera also aims to extend CBeam’s compatibility with more C-arm models.
- FDA Nod for Alzheimer’s Software: Microstructure Imaging received FDA 510(k) clearance for MICSI-PET, a software application for using MRI to enhance PET and quantify tau and amyloid proteins, the main drivers of Alzheimer’s disease. The software makes signs of Alzheimer’s easier to visualize, plus assist radiologists in evaluation – key for monitoring treatment. With recent FDA approvals for new radiopharmaceuticals and at-home doses of topline treatment Leqembi, MICSI-PET could make it easier for clinicians to check up with patients’ progress.
- Security Woes with Open-Source Archive: If you’re using the dcm4chee Imaging Archive open-source software to store your medical images, you might want to know about a warning posted last week about its security vulnerabilities. Security researcher Abhinav Agarwal said that vulnerabilities could “potentially enable attackers to delete stored patient scans, inject fabricated studies into patient records and reassign imaging studies to different patient identities,” although he added there was no evidence the vulnerabilities had been exploited in the wild – yet.
- PaxeraHealth Loses Round in Software Lawsuit: PaxeraHealth failed to secure a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit against a former employee it accuses of copyright infringement and stealing trade secrets to start their own firm. A Massachusetts federal judge ruled that Paxera’s evidence against Omar Mhanna and his HealthTom company was “speculative” and didn’t show that Mhanna used the source code at the heart of the dispute. Mhanna launched HealthTom in 2023 to offer cloud-based enterprise IT solutions after serving as vice president of R&D at PaxeraHealth.
- Sonus + Medtronic for Maternal Care: Maternal care may be getting more accessible and less expensive thanks to a new partnership between Sonus Microsystems and Medtronic that aims to develop wearable ultrasound patches. While Sonus’ aptly-named Sonus Patch has been in development for monitoring CVD, support from Medtronic’s acute care team will guide the creation of a wearable patch made for catching preeclampsia. Considering about half of U.S. hospitals don’t have maternity wards, home-based care for keeping up with prenatal health could help meet a fast-growing need.
- A Radiology Charity Roundup: A new Clinical Imaging article scans the state of radiology charities getting involved in global health, breaking them down into three main categories. The first is private foundations like the Gates Foundation, which are usually funded by a single person and tend to support ongoing efforts by other organizations. On the other hand public charities like RAD-AID and Imaging the World utilize volunteers and staff to engage directly with underserved communities. Then there’s also non-profit branches of professional societies, from RSNA to ACR and more.
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A New Fleet. A New Era for CT
Imaging teams are being asked to do more across clinical settings, with speed, clarity, and consistency. Introducing Rembra, Rembra RT, Areta RT, and Verida, a CT portfolio from Philips designed to support high-demand imaging environments. Learn more.
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Making a Difference For Pediatric Patients and Families
A new study published by Stanford Children’s and Duke examined over a year and a half of patient feedback following the implementation of patient-friendly radiology reports from Scanslated. Learn about the positive impact Scanslated can create for your patients today.
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The Business Case for Modernizing Medical Imaging
Explore the business case for modernizing medical imaging with Intelerad’s IntelePACS and InteleOrchestrator. Read the white paper to learn how healthcare organizations can improve operational efficiency, diagnostic quality, and cost management while delivering measurable business value.
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- Lower Doses, Higher Quality: What if you could reduce radiation exposure without compromising accuracy in MSK imaging? Discover a system from Siemens Healthineers that supports dose-saving strategies while delivering high-quality images for confident diagnoses and maintaining clinical accuracy.
- The Radiology Layer Nobody Talks About: Detection algorithms, generative reporting tools, and worklist triage engines are only as good as the data that reaches them. Kailo Medical’s KailoHub is the connective tissue that sits between everything. Learn how it can benefit you on this page.
- End-to-End Prostate Workflow Management: Find out how Quibim’s QP-Prostate provides a comprehensive, end-to-end management workflow for prostate cancer care, supporting clinicians from the earliest stages of image acquisition through diagnosis, patient management, and follow-up.
- More than an Image. The Big Picture: AGFA HealthCare understands that striking the critical balance between clinical efficiency and quality delivery of patient care starts with the clinician experience. Learn how their Enterprise Imaging platform makes the complex simple.
- Cutting-Edge PET/CT to Support Theranostics: Theranostics is an exciting new field that combines diagnostics and therapy. Discover how Florida Theranostics is using United Imaging’s uMI Panorama PET/CT scanner to establish a high-quality level of patient care.
- A New Foundation for Healthcare AI: MergeIQ from Merge provides a scalable, governed approach to healthcare AI, enabling organizations to adopt advanced capabilities without adding standalone systems, increasing IT complexity, or disrupting existing workflows. Learn more about the first MergeIQ applications today.
- Reimbursement for AI-Powered CAC Scoring: Medicare reimbursement for AI-powered coronary artery calcium scoring is now available with code G0680. Find out how it can impact your practice – and your patients – in this video interview with Riverain Technologies.
- End-to-End Imaging Interoperability: Basic image exchange is increasingly table stakes. The harder work happens around it: finding relevant priors, bringing in outside imaging, reconciling patient identity, and much more. In this live demo, see how Medicom manages those workflows end-to-end through one interoperability platform.
- The Future of Radiology Is Operational Transformation: In this webinar at 12 pm ET on Tuesday, September 29, discover how leading radiology groups are increasing throughput, reducing report turnaround times, improving workload equity, and helping attract and retain radiologists through a new approach to enterprise radiology operations.
- How AI is Unlocking Opportunistic Screening: Routine imaging already contains preventive health information patients often never receive, and AI is making it possible to surface that data. Learn how CARPL can help you implement opportunistic screening on this page.
- Five Years Into the Cloud – And Just Getting Started: John Muir Health in California needed help dealing with its data deluge, which became acute with the adoption of 3D breast tomosynthesis. Find out how they turned to Sectra and their cloud-based enterprise imaging management for a solution.
- AI Echo for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a leading cause of sudden cardiac death in the young. It is now treatable in the era of cardiac myosin inhibitors, yet remains substantially underdiagnosed. Learn how AI echo with Us2.ai can help.
- Smoothing the Transition to Radiology Integration: Consolidation among medical imaging providers is creating challenges when it comes to managing and integrating image data from diverse sources. In this edition of The Imaging Wire Show, we discussed how solutions from Enlitic can smooth the transition.
- Accelerating Care Today for More Tomorrows: GE HealthCare empowers precision care with innovative imaging, patient management solutions, and tailored consulting services for every step of the theranostics pathway. Learn more about theranostics on this page from GE HealthCare.
- Radiology Without Limits: Watch this video from Visage Imaging to learn how their Visage 7 solution enables you to achieve radiology without limits – performance, reliability, and innovation.
- Is the “Safe Choice” Actually Safe? Familiar doesn’t always mean lower risk. Hear how radiology leaders are evaluating reporting platforms beyond the feature list. Register for the webinar.
- Advanced Women’s Health with Smarter Breast Imaging: Meeting the demands of advanced women’s health requires an imaging ecosystem that helps radiologists work efficiently, supports diagnostic confidence, and expands access to specialized breast imaging expertise. Discover how Fujifilm’s comprehensive portfolio of women’s imaging solutions can help.
- The Most Exposed System You Own: Digitization plateaued. Much of the infrastructure underneath enterprise imaging is now both costly to maintain and attractive to attackers. This framework reframes modernization as phased evolution rather than a rip-and-replace event, and shows leaders how to fund it. Get the framework.
- Purpose-Built for Modern Radiology: MosaicOS from Mosaic Clinical Technologies unites clinical expertise, AI, and advanced workflow tools in one intuitive platform. Find out how it can expand your clinical capacity and speed up turnaround times today.
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