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CT. The study revealed 20% fewer lung cancer deaths in the group screened with CT imaging. The CT scans used by the NLST exposed patients to 1.5 mSv of radiation, which represents a low-dose scan. When applied to the same equipment, ASIR technology can decrease the dose to approximately 0.8 mSv. With the continued use of CT imaging in lung cancer screening, the application of the new software could reduce the impact on the sensitive organ. "The fi eld of radiology is always look- ing for ways to improve the quality of radiological studies and to improve the safety for patients," says Dr. Parker. "This is a big step toward both goals, and it will only get better in the future." For more information about Consulting Radiologists, Ltd., visit www.consulting radiologists.com. n MDNEWS.COM MD NEWS Twin Cities | 7 RESEARCH'S BEIRING ON PATIENT CARE THE RECENT PUSH for lowering radiation in imaging developed after the publishing of a report written by the National Research Council's Committee on the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation, also known as the BEIR VII report. Released in 2005, the report concluded that current clinical evidence supported the premise of a cause-and-effect relationship between low-level radiation exposure and cancer. Investigators reviewed animal data and the results of the Life Span Study — the long-term monitoring of Japanese survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings — to explore the biological impact of radiation exposure. The conclusions of the BEIR VII report are considered conservative by many large, well-respected organizations such as the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the United Nations Scientifi c Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, and may overestimate the risks of low-level radiation. While many radiologists view the BEIR VII report as reaffi rmation to continue fol- lowing the same principle of employing radiological studies only when necessary, the publication has motivated manufacturers to focus more of their design efforts on low-dose radiation imaging technology.