“A quantum leap, a real revolution”. Use exactly these words Andrea Giovagnoni, President of the Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology (Sirm), when he talks about the “new frontier of medical radiology” in oncology (and beyond): radiomics. What is it about? Of a technique that analyzes images (CT scan and magnetic resonance imaging, for example) using machine learning and artificial intelligence systems to predict the evolution of the tumor, and if and how it will respond to treatments: information to be provided to the oncologist, the pathologist and surgeon who help determine how to operate and treat the patient.
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What is radiomics
“Radiomics helps us highlight new markers not from images but from numbers – explains Giovagnoni – In other words, we evaluate how the numerical values present within the images are spatially distributed within the tissue studied. This is why this type of investigation is often also called ‘texture analysis’, or ‘texture analysis’, in English. The objective is to guarantee the patient the best, earliest and most effective intervention to also safeguard his quality of life”. Medical radiology is probably the discipline that is most affected by artificial intelligence and technological advances. “Radiomics is spreading in Italy, together with a greater awareness of the fundamental role that this medical figure plays in the modern diagnostic and therapeutic processes of the majority of patients. Not only those affected by cancer but also by other pathologies such as cardiovascular, inflammatory and degenerative ones”, he underlines Alfonso MarchianòPresident of the Scientific Committee of the 51st Sirm National Congress, which will be held in June in Milan.
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70 million imaging tests per year
There are as many as 70 million diagnostic imaging procedures carried out every year in our country, and expertise is fundamental: “Today we can count on accurate images, acquired more quickly, linked to a practically zero risk of secondary effects from radiation, but precisely because of the great technological complexity with which they are produced they must always be managed and interpreted by the radiologist specialist”, he comments Massimo VenturiniGeneral Secretary of the 51st Sirm National Congress.
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The place of Italian radiology in the world
The radiologist’s profession has changed profoundly in the last 15 years, and his figure is now an integral part of the multidisciplinary teams that establish treatment paths. Radiology is therefore no longer a “series B” discipline, as it was once considered compared to the classical branches of medicine. And in this transformation Italy had a decisive role: “The most cited scientific studies in the world in the radiological field are Italian – he confirms Gianpaolo Carrafiello, President of the 51st Sirm National Congress – and our company magazine, ‘medical radiology’, is a scientific point of reference on a global level”. Sirm currently has over 10 thousand members, and is a company that pays great attention to training, especially for young people. And the 51st National Congress will also coincide with the first Joint Congress of the Scientific Societies in the radiological area (radiologists, nuclear medicine doctors and radiotherapists): “The idea of bringing together the three scientific societies was a challenge and a need – concludes President Giovagnoni – dictated by the transversality of our discipline, increasingly central among medical branches and at the heart of the patient’s diagnosis and treatment path”.
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