HJAR Mar/Apr 2023

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  MAR / APR 2023 55 Donald B. Norwood, MD Medical Director for Imaging Services CARTI Cancer Center cancer treatment. We currently have two such tagging agents — one for carcinoid tu- mor (a type of neuroendocrine tumor) and one for prostate cancer — with plans to ex- pand our usage as the technology continues to develop. In a discipline that relies on state-of-the- art technology in a high-stakes, often time- sensitive environment where important de- cisions are happening quickly, this shift from delivering answers to delivering treatment is an incredible leap forward. Clearly, providing clinical information is our primary goal in radiology. But if we can also treat the actual disease? That is the kind of advancement that can bring about radical change. Transforming lives together I’m excited to follow the latest imaging developments as they continue to unfold and to be on the front lines — along with so many of you — in transforming and saving lives through innovative healthcare. To- gether, we can change the destiny of many Arkansans from victim of cancer to victor over cancer. The future of cancer treatment is brighter than ever, and I, for one, can’t wait to see what’s next. n Donald B. Norwood, MD, is the medical director for imaging services at CARTI in Little Rock, where he specializes in diagnostic radiology. Norwood com- pleted medical school and a diagnostic radiology residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, followed by amagnetic reso- nance and cardiac imaging fellowship.He is passion- ate about imaging excellence in cancer care. This is where advanced imaging comes in. Low-dose screening lung CT has proven incredibly valuable in detecting lung cancer long before it can be seen on X-ray, resulting in the all-important early diagnosis health- care providers know is so critical to survival. Yet the rate of lung cancer screening among smokers, and certainlyArkansas smokers, is far too low — a fewmeasly percentage points. Addressing our lung cancer crisis is a daunting task, and it will take a multi- pronged approach to turn this smoking ship around. As physicians, though, we can strongly encourage (“badger” might actu- ally be a better word) our patients who are smokers to get screened for lung cancer. Yes, even if they have to pay out of pocket. Buy- ing back valuable treatment time at earlier stages is worth the relatively modest cost. The new world of radiology In addition to screenings, emerging tech- nology is taking radiology far beyond an- swers. Now, radiotracers for PET CT enable us to tag the tumor itself to deliver treatment, targeting and killing cancer cells at the mo- lecular level while sparing healthy tissue. Specific to prostate cancer, using a ra- diotracer to target the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) surface recep- tor allows us to say, “Yes, you have prostate cancer in these locations,”and then use that same radiotracer to deliver targeted radia- tion therapy. CARTI was actually the first facility in Arkansas to use a radiotracer for prostate in 2004. By 2018, that number had climbed to 31 out of 100. Those are the types of trends we love to see and the types of trends we are work- ing to see more of inArkansas. Let’s look at a few ways diagnostic radiology can help make it happen. Revolutionary prevention — potentially As a leading-edge provider of cancer care in Arkansas and the surrounding re- gion, CARTI is home to the most advanced imaging technology, including PET CT, CT, MRI, ultrasound, interventional radiology, and much more. Here, being at the industry forefront is a given. Unfortunately, one of our biggest imag- ing challenges — at CARTI and for providers throughout the state — stems not from a lack of advanced technology, but from a lack of putting that technology to greater use serv- ing smokers, one of our most at-risk patient populations. Our burning crisis Arkansas is consistently identified as having one of the highest smoking rates in the country, around a staggering 20% for adults and, worse still, potentially even higher among high school students. To call it a crisis is not an overstatement. Of course, you and I see the end result of those moun- tains of cigarettes: lung cancer, additional smoking-related cancers, and other serious, life-threatening diseases.