We can be heroes

In an era that therapeutic breakthroughs are redefining healthcare and moving beyond a one-size-fits-all model, the spotlight often falls on new treatments.

Yet, every effective therapy begins with an accurate diagnosis. Even if medical imaging may not always capture headlines, the steady stream of innovations in the field – along with multiple advances at different steps in the diagnostic journey – can change standards of care for specific patient groups and transform outcomes.

Diagnostic imaging is the cornerstone of interdisciplinary, patient-centred care. As we navigate the complexities of modern medicine, we must recognise and amplify the pivotal role of medical imaging in enabling early detection, precise diagnosis and personalised treatment strategies while at the same time focusing on ways to improve the standard of patient care.

Since the discovery of X-rays by the German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen 130 years ago, which heralded a new era of diagnostics, one of the foremost advantages of medical imaging has been its ability to detect diseases at an early stage, when treatment is most effective.

In my previous role in oncology, I witnessed firsthand how critical early and accurate diagnosis can be. With one in five people expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, advances in medical imaging that better reflect the individual patient can enhance cancer detection and ultimately contribute to better outcomes.

This is especially true for breast cancer, the most common cancer in women. Each year, there are 2.3 million new cases and 685,000 deaths.

Widespread mammography use developed in the 1980s, leading to a drop in breast cancer deaths, and innovation in medical imaging continues to have a profound impact on diagnosis – when breast cancer is detected early and is in the localised stage, the five-year relative survival rate is 99%.

Mammography is the gold standard for screening, but mounting scientific evidence indicates that standard mammography is not sufficient for women with dense breast tissue. In addition to being a risk factor to develop breast cancer, breast density decreases the sensitivity of mammography for screening because dense tissue can mask tumours.

For women with dense breasts, supplemental screening options – including contrast-enhanced mammography and breast MRI – can identify lesions that otherwise might have been missed and, as a result, have been incorporated in European Society of Breast Imaging recommendations.

Another example highlighting the transformative role of medical imaging in the care pathway is prostate cancer, which is the most common cancer in men in the UK.

A recent study that was conducted by the Charité, one of the largest university hospitals in Europe, and supported by Bayer indicated that utilising MRI as the first diagnostic step in suspected prostate cancer can offer several advantages over the traditional biopsy-first approach.

A prebiopsy MRI can improve the detection of clinically significant tumours and spare men who do not show suspicious lesions on the scan from an unnecessary, uncomfortable biopsy and avoid potential associated complications.

Moreover, pre-biopsy MRI facilitates more precise, targeted biopsies in cases of clinically significant findings that require therapy while minimising the risk of over-treating indolent cancers.

Beyond detection, advanced medical imaging techniques play a crucial role in effective treatment planning. By providing increasingly detailed insights into the anatomy and pathology of patients, advanced imaging techniques enable healthcare providers to devise personalised treatment strategies tailored to each individual’s unique needs.

Medical imaging also allows for the continuous monitoring of disease progression and the assessment of therapy effectiveness, enabling healthcare providers to make informed adjustments to treatment plans and supporting patients in getting the most effective care possible.

With the global population ageing and chronic diseases rising in prevalence, the number of advanced diagnostic imaging procedures performed worldwide continues to increase, reinforcing the importance of continuous innovation in the field.

This includes advances in technology as well as continued research and development of new contrast agents.

For the last three decades, gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) have been extensively used in MRI. Since their introduction in 1988, there have been more than 800 million administrations worldwide, with more than 60 million annually.

GBCAs used in MRI can help physicians distinguish cancerous tissue and facilitate diagnosis, staging and monitoring. However, continued research and innovation are needed. Since the introduction of the first MRI contrast agent more than 35 years ago, Bayer is continuing to drive innovation in this field.

Research and development in medical imaging can also address another rising challenge. The ever-increasing demand for advanced medical imaging, coupled with limited healthcare resources, is putting radiologists and their teams at risk of burn-out and diagnostic error.

That is driving the need for efficient, integrated technologies, requiring the creation of smarter workflows with contrast media injectors and digital innovation that ease the burden on healthcare staff while ensuring that high-quality care reaches more patients more efficiently.

Radiology clinics need tailored solutions to address the unique challenges they face.

Recognising the enormous potential in digital technologies including AI to address these obstacles, the industry is advancing offerings that bring together informatics, workflow solutions, services and contrast dose management to support radiologists in delivering the right dose at the right time without complicating workflow.

As radiology moves towards even greater connectivity and integration, technology can help to advance precision and efficiency.

Another area emerging in medical imaging is molecular imaging, a rapidly evolving field with the potential to create a new paradigm in disease diagnosis and management.

By visualising molecular and cellular processes in vivo, molecular imaging enables earlier detection and characterisation of diseases but also the monitoring of progression and treatment response.

Nelson Ambrogio is President of Radiology at Bayer