December 1, 2006

New radiology core service supports clinical trials

The Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), a consortium composed of seven Harvard-affiliated medical centers including the MGH, has launched a new radiology core service to provide accurate and timely tumor measurements in support of clinical trials being conducted at the network of hospitals. The Tumor Imaging Metric Core (TIMC) provides quick analysis of CT, MR and PET imaging studies. Radiology exams for patients in clinical trials are transmitted via computer network from the hospitals' Picture Archive Communication Systems to the TIMC for processing.

"The Tumor Imaging Metric Core allows our Harvard-affiliated researchers to receive standardized radiological measurements for PET scans quickly and accurately," says William B. Hanlon, MSc, Tumor Imaging Metrics Core. "All measurements are reviewed by Harvard faculty radiologists, and longitudinal results are stored in a database on a secure website so that the information is always available for viewing or downloading by authorized staff. We are pleased to be able to offer this sophisticated technology to researchers at this time."

The DF/HCC Tumor Imaging Metrics Core maintains computer lab space at both the MGH and BWH/Dana Farber Cancer Institute campuses. For more information, visit the TIMC web site at www.tumormetrics.org or contact Hanlon at (617) 632-6578 or timc2@partners.org.