The fax is back for screening

Bella Rough RADIOLOGISTS are resorting to fax	of heavy smoking and referring them to radiologists, who con-	“ It’ s proven to be so complex that few practices had successfully inte-	faxing CT scan results to the register as a stopgap solution.
machines or snail mail to register	duct low-dose CT scans and upload	grated when the program started,	“ It’ s a 1980s bandaid that is unac-
lung cancer screening results after	the results to the National Cancer	and almost three months later, most	ceptable in 2025.”
struggling to connect their prac-	Screening Register, which handles	practices have still not been able to	Mr Kane said that clinics suffered
tice IT systems with the national	screening results for bowel, cervical	integrate,” its CEO, Chris Kane, said.	financially by participating because
screening register.	and lung cancer.	“ Many smaller radiology prac-	the Medicare rebate of $ 308 a scan
The National Lung Cancer	However, some radiologists were	tices and hospitals have found it so	was too low.
Screening Program launched this	refusing to participate because of the	challenging and cost-prohibitive that	“ It’ s clear that this program has
July with the goal of preventing	time, cost and difficulty of integrating	they cannot participate.”	already saved lives, but it’ s unclear
12,000 cancer deaths over a decade	their IT with the register, according	While radiologists had already	how sustainable it will be going
via early detection.	to the Australian Diagnostic Imaging	conducted about 16,000 CT scans—	forward.”
It involves GPs identifying eligi-	Association, which represents private	more than expected so far— Mr Kane	Lung Foundation Australia said it
ble patients aged 50-70 with a history	radiology clinics.	said clinics had ended up mailing or	had heard similar complaints about IT.
			Switch off CT scanners?

Repatha * 1

Proven to reduce plaque † 2 and to prevent CV events ‡ 3 vs placebo 1-4

* Repatha is indicated for the prevention of CV events( MI, stroke and coronary revascularisation) in adults with established CV disease in combination with an optimally dosed statin and / or other lipid-lowering therapies, as an adjunct to diet and exercise. 1

†

Adding Repatha to statins resulted in a 0.95 % reduction in percent atheroma volume( percentage of outer vessel wall volume occupied by plaque) at week 78( p < 0.001 vs baseline and vs placebo [+ 0.05 %]). 2

‡

Relative risk of the primary composite end point( CV death, MI, stroke, hospitalisation for UA, or coronary revascularisation) significantly reduced by 15 % over 2.2 years follow-up with REPATHA plus optimised statin ± ezetimibe( HR 0.85 [ 0.79-0.92 ]; p < 0.001) – with consistent results across age, sex, and type of ASCVD. 3

PBS Information: Authority required( STREAMLINED). Non-familial and familial hypercholesterolaemia. Criteria apply. Refer to PBS Schedule for full authority information.

Refer to full Product Information before prescribing; available from Amgen Australia Pty Ltd, Ph: 1800 803 638 or by scanning the QR code: For more information on Repatha ® or to report an adverse event or product complaint involving Repatha ®, please contact Amgen Medical Information on 1800 803 638 or visit www. amgenmedinfo. com. au.

Precautions: Hypersensitivity reactions. Concomitant lipid-lowering therapies – check all relevant prescribing information. Immunogenic potential. Pregnancy Category: B1. Caution – breastfeeding. Adverse Reactions: Common – nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection, influenza, back pain, arthralgia, nausea, rash, and injection site reactions( including injection site pain, erythema, bruising, swelling or haemorrhage). 1

Abbreviations: ASCVD, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; CV, cardiovascular; HR, hazard ratio; MI, myocardial infarction; PBS, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme; UA, unstable angina.

References: 1. Repatha( evolocumab) Product Information. 2. Nicholls SJ, et al. JAMA 2016; 316:2373 – 2384. 3. Sabatine MS, et al. N Engl J Med. 2017; 376( 18): 1713 – 1722. 4. Gencer B, et al. JAMA Cardiol. 2020; 5( 8): 952 – 957.

Carmel Sparke COULD the last radiographer to leave please switch off the CT scanners?

The machines are usually left running 24 / 7 in the event a patient needs emergency scans.

But researchers say turning off one CT scanner each night for a week saves about 140kWh of energy, which is enough to power an average Australian household for a week.

“ Identifying and switching off surplus CT scanners in low-use times is a simple and scalable intervention that can achieve significant power, financial and carbon savings with little to no impact on clinical workflow,” they wrote in the Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences.

Remarkably, medical imaging is estimated to account for 1 % of all global greenhouse gas emissions— about the same as Australia itself.

One department with five MRI scanners and three CT scanners uses the equivalent electrical power of 85 four-person households, the authors noted.

The energy-saving findings of the journal study were based on radiographers at a NSW hospital reducing a CT scanner’ s energy use by 32 % by switching off after hours( 5pm-8am) and over the weekend.

This was not simply about pulling the plug.

Radiographers had to power down the computer software and gantry controls, but leave residual power to keep detectors at a baselevel heat for more efficient reboot / recalibration.

They noted that a high proportion of the energy use of CT scanners( 66 %) and MRI scanners( 33 %) is occurring when they are in an idle state, between scans and overnight when not in use.

J Med Radiat Sci 2025; 21 Sep.

AusDoc 31st Oct | Seite 10

31 OCTOBER 2025 10 NEWS ausdoc. com. au

Repatha * 1

31 OCTOBER 2025 10 NEWS ausdoc. com. au

The fax is back for screening

Switch off CT scanners?

Repatha * 1

Proven to reduce plaque † 2 and to prevent CV events ‡ 3 vs placebo 1-4