As the demand for advanced cancer diagnostics and personalized treatments continues to grow, the integration of innovative technologies like AI-powered imaging and Theranostics is revolutionizing patient care. Siemens Healthineers stands at the forefront of these advancements, delivering cutting-edge solutions that enhance diagnostic accuracy, streamline workflows, and improve patient comfort. In an exlusive conversation with Dr. Asawari Savant from Elets News Network (ENN), Abhinav Shanker, Product Management Manager and Noby Varghese, Senior Key Expert, Molecular Imaging from Siemens Healthineers share insights into how these transformative technologies are shaping the future of cancer care and empowering healthcare providers in the B2B healthcare landscape. Edited excerpts 

How does Siemens Healthineers aim to alleviate patient anxiety, particularly for claustrophobic and bedridden patients during time-taking procedures such as PET/CT scans?

We focus on alleviating patient anxiety through comfort-enhancing technologies and industry collaboration to maximize results. Siemens Healthineers partners with various hospitals, clinics, and cancer centers aiming to transform cancer diagnosis and treatment through precision medicine. We continuously enhance existing technologies and develop new ones to improve patient comfort. For instance, advanced scanners from Siemens Healthineers enable faster scan times, providing significant relief for individuals with claustrophobia. These systems can generate high-quality images with a very short scan duration as compared to the older PET Scanners. 

Faster scan time is especially beneficial for pediatric cases or for patients who might feel discomfort or anxiety during extended procedures. Additionally, bedridden patients benefit from shorter times on the scanning table, reducing pain and discomfort associated with prolonged positioning. We have addressed another aspect of patient experience by introducing mood lighting in our new PET/CT scanners that provides a soothing environment during the procedure. Additionally, our scanners also feature wide bores that significantly reduces patient anxiety and claustrophobia. 

By creating a supportive, accessible, and compassionate environment, we can ensure that vulnerable patients receive the comprehensive care they need without the added stress often associated with healthcare. 

Could you explain the key improvements Siemens Healthineers has introduced in cancer diagnosis that enable shorter scan times? How has this impacted patient comfort and benefitted hospitals and partner clinics?

With the increasing oncology patient population, there is an increasing need for PET scans. Our advanced scanners enable highly efficient workflow allowing increased patient throughput. For instance, one of our customers can scan up to 50 scans (PET/CT and CT) per day on single scanner. These systems deliver faster scanning speeds and enhanced precision with the Time-of-Flight technology, allowing for whole-body scans to be completed within just 10-15 minutes, depending on the tracer utilized and injected dose. Recent advancements have reduced scan durations significantly, enhancing patient comfort and operational efficiency.  

We have various Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered algorithms and automated workflows that significantly enhance the speed and accuracy of cancer diagnosis, particularly in imaging procedures. We collaborate with various hospitals across India and cancer centers including HealthCare Global Enterprises (HCG), Kasturba Medical College (KMC) of Manipal to understand the clinical and patient needs; these collaborations give us a real-life glimpse of our efficiency, thereby allowing us to improve our solutions through patient and customer feedback. We are co-creating solutions to shape the future of cancer care. 

How does artificial intelligence contribute to the advanced capabilities of Siemens Healthineers scanners, especially in improving the cancer care process?

Siemens Healthineers has integrated AI into its medical imaging technologies, significantly enhancing the capabilities of our scanners and post processing applications, particularly in cancer care. We employ AI algorithms that automate complex diagnostic processes. For instance, our PET/CT scanners utilize an intelligent imaging platform, which includes features that can assess an entire patient dataset within 10 seconds with 92% accuracy. This capability allows for the rapid identification of lesions which is crucial for timely cancer diagnosis and treatment planning. 

With regard to early disease detection and treatment planning, the integration of AI in multi-modality imaging decision support has expedited diagnoses by providing accurate insights from various imaging sources like MRI, CT scans, and X-rays. This technology also optimizes resource utilization and reduces costs. In resource-constrained healthcare settings across India, AI-based decision support systems deliver quality care to remote regions, empower telemedicine, and relieve overburdened healthcare workers. Affordable AI-driven imaging makes advanced care accessible to more people, improving outcomes and the efficiency of cancer treatment. 

At Siemens Healthineers, we are utilizing AI to automate workflows, enhance quantification accuracy, and streamline efficiency for technologists and physicians, while prioritizing patient comfort. Powerful AI-based applications are already contributing to the concept of digital patient twin. They enable more precise cancer diagnoses and more targeted treatments that is based on evidence-based medicine. 

In terms of innovation, what differentiates cancer diagnosing scanners from other diagnostic imaging solutions on the market today?

Diagnostic imaging scanners deliver clinically relevant and actionable information to physicians that enables them to detect cancers. These advanced systems distinguish themselves from general imaging systems by integrating breakthrough technologies and tailored capabilities. These scanners frequently utilize multi-modality imaging, such as PET/CT and SPECT/CT, which combine functional and anatomical, information to deliver precise tumor localization and help to find the characteristics of the tumor. Innovations like AI-powered diagnostic tools potentially enhance their capability to detect cancer early by analyzing biomarkers and cellular activity. This enables highly personalized insights into disease progression and treatment response. These advancements also improve diagnostic accuracy, streamline workflows, and provide clinicians with the tools to predict treatment outcomes and monitor the risk of cancer recurrence, hence elevating the standard of patient care. AI-driven imaging in diagnostic imaging scanners identify the most effective therapies by analyzing a patient’s unique genetic makeup, clinical conditions, and medical history. This capability further distinguishes these scanners from general-purpose diagnostic tools by enabling highly individualized treatment approaches.

Our versatile range of diagnostic imaging scanners, including advanced CT, PET/CT, and SPECT/CT systems are designed to enhance diagnostic accuracy and workflow efficiency. Our CT scanners incorporate innovative features such as Dual Energy imaging, which enables detailed visualization and material characterization for improved diagnosis and its morphometric features. Ultra-low-dose CT scanners are equipped with cutting-edge technologies like dose-saving Tin filter technology and Lung CAD, tailored specifically for lung cancer detection, hence enabling lung cancer screening. Additionally, our state-of-the-art devices ensures streamlined and standardized workflows, catering to diverse patient needs and varying staff expertise levels, thereby optimizing procedure outcomes across healthcare settings.

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How do you see the partnerships of Siemens Healthineers with healthcare providers evolving to further empower personalized and accessible cancer care?

Our collaborations adopt a comprehensive approach, prioritizing the accessibility of innovations for patients across diverse needs. Regular hospital visits enable our engineers to gain invaluable insights by closely observing the complex workflows involved in nuclear medicine examinations. This hands-on exposure allows them to deepen their understanding of how their technology is applied in real-world patient care, bridging the gap between innovation and practical implementation. This clinical-industrial collaboration highlights the transformative potential of advanced technology when combined with a steadfast commitment to accessibility. Together, they create a powerful synergy poised to make a profound global impact on patient care. 

At Siemens Healthineers, we are dedicated to revolutionizing personalized healthcare by advancing medical technologies that provide more precise diagnoses and customized treatment solutions. This commitment underscores our mission to enhance healthcare outcomes and improve patient well-being worldwide. A key clinical trend fueling this innovation is Theranostics – a groundbreaking approach that combines diagnostics and therapeutics to deliver highly individualized treatment options, with a particular focus on cancer care.

With advanced molecular imaging technologies clinicians can accurately identify cancer-specific biomarkers, enabling precise and effective treatment strategies. These imaging insights guide the administration of targeted therapeutic agents, such as radioligand therapies, which are designed to treat cancer while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. For instance, both diagnostic imaging and treatment applications utilize the same molecular target in prostate cancer. This approach has shown considerable efficacy in the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors with somatostatin receptors. Recent advancements in Theranostics have further refined these approaches, allowing clinicians to optimize treatment outcomes and significantly improve patient’s quality of life. 

Views expressed by: Abhinav Shanker,  Product Management Manager, Siemens Healthineers & Noby Varghese, Senior Key Expert, Molecular Imaging, Siemens Healthineers

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