Thyroid cancer overdiagnosed? And, Mediterranean diet cuts lung cancer; MRI exams in Finland

Dear AuntMinnieEurope Member,

We hope you are enjoying your summer. We here at AuntMinnieEurope.com are still scouring the Web for important and interesting news for you so you can relax on your holiday.

For instance, did you see the study in BMJ on how the aggressive use of imaging could be leading to overdiagnosis of thyroid disorders?

Researchers believe that low-risk small papillary thyroid cancers -- the prime culprit behind this increased diagnostic incidence -- are being significantly overtreated. They are calling for a new nomenclature that removes "cancer" from the term to signify the low likelihood that these lesions will ever pose a risk to patients. Click here to learn more.

Italian researchers have reported that several components of the Mediterranean diet are associated with significant reductions in the incidence of lung cancer in individuals with heavy smoking histories who received CT screening. Go to our CT Digital Community or click here for the details.

In Finland, researchers are concerned about whether financial considerations could be leading to more patients receiving unnecessary MRI exams. They found that only a small percentage of MRI exams were deemed inappropriate, but education and the regular use of referral guidelines could help improve decision-making about the appropriateness of a scan. What else did the researchers conclude? Visit our MRI Digital Community or click here to find out.

In welcome news, the global x-ray market is set to boom, according to a new report. This is being driven primarily by continued digitization of x-ray systems and increasing healthcare investments in emerging regions. Be sure to read more of market research firm IMS Research's predictions; you won't be sorry.

Last but not least, it is often assumed that women younger than 40 with breast cancer must have different imaging characteristics than their older counterparts. French researchers have nipped this in the bud, but they did find younger women with breast cancer do have similar genetic profiles, which have a different distribution in young women compared with the general population.

Be sure to check back regularly at our website for more news -- you can trust we will always have you covered.