Investment will focus on diagnostic and treatment technologies.
###
Cancer is the second most common cause of mortality in the United States and accounts for nearly one of every four deaths. In 2011, according to the American Cancer Society, roughly 571,950 Americans are expected to die of cancer?at the same time, about 1,596,670 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed.
The disease dates back throughout recorded history. The American Cancer Society notes the oldest description was discovered in Egypt and is dated to roughly 3000 BC. The condition appears in an ancient Egyptian textbook on trauma surgery with the statement, ?There is no treatment.?
Today, there is still no cure, but there is treatment. The American Cancer Society notes the five-year relative survival rate for all cancers diagnosed between 1999 and 2006 has increased to 68 percent; this has improved significantly since even 1975-1977 when the rate was 50 percent. The advances in outcomes are associated with better diagnostic methods and more effective treatments. However, there is still much more work to be done.
To this end, GE Healthcare, based in Waukesha, Wisc, announce its intention to dedicate $1 billion of its total R&D [research and development] budget over the next five years to expand its advanced diagnostic and molecular imaging capabilities, technologies for the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals, and tools for cancer research. The amount represents a greater share of this budget segment than in the past.
?We are committed to tackling cancer. However, with a disease as complex and multifaceted as cancer, solutions need to be equally multifaceted and even more integrated, combining imaging, molecular diagnostics, and health care IT,? said John Dineen, president and chief executive officer of GE Healthcare, in a release.
Imaging Impact
The investment will cross the company?s global business lines, which include cellular research, medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, and information technology. Of its imaging tools, GE called out positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT), which combines PET?s ability to capture metabolic or functional data with CT?s anatomical images.
PET/CT exams can provide information ontumor location, size, and metabolic activity that physicians can use to make clinical decisions, such as differentiating between malignant and benign lesions, identifying recurrences and metastases, and guiding treatment selection and delivery.
GE?s newest instruments in this segment include its Discovery line of PET/CT machines. Though many of the improvements occur ?behind the scenes,? patients directly benefit with faster exams, reduced radiation dose, and improved lesion detectability. Greater ability to detect cancer early may have a positive impact on patient outcome.
Cancer is typically diagnosed in four stages, with the first being early and latter representing advanced disease. For this reason, cancers caught in earlier stages can be easier to treat. An example is skin cancer. For localized melanoma, the five-year survival rate is 98 percent; it drops to 62 percent and 16 percent for later regional- and distant-stage diseases, respectively.
GE is hoping to use its investment to bring promising cancer ideas to market to improve diagnostic accuracy even further. Mike Harsh, GE vice president and GE Healthcare chief technology officer, was quoted, ?The only way we can help clinicians beat cancer is to give them the tools to find it earlier, stage it better, and quantitatively measure response to therapy.??
Source: http://ctscan.imagingeconomics.com/post/2011/09/28/-GE-Commits-to-Cancer-.aspx
social security disability bullmastiff bullmastiff nhc indiana jones bestbuy bestbuy
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন