De-identification of Medical Images with Retention of Scientific Research Value.

Online public repositories for sharing research data allow investigators to validate existing research or perform secondary research without the expense of collecting new data. Patient data made publicly available through such repositories may constitute a breach of personally identifiable information if not properly de-identified. Imaging data are especially at risk because some intricacies of the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format are not widely understood by researchers.

The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA): maintaining and operating a public information repository.

The National Institutes of Health have placed significant emphasis on sharing of research data to support secondary research. Investigators have been encouraged to publish their clinical and imaging data as part of fulfilling their grant obligations. Realizing it was not sufficient to merely ask investigators to publish their collection of imaging and clinical data, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) created the open source National Biomedical Image Archive software package as a mechanism for centralized hosting of cancer related imaging.

Regulatory compliance requirements for an open source electronic image trial management system.

There is a global need for software to manage imaging based clinical trials to speed basic research and drug development. Such a system must comply with regulatory requirements. The U.

Collecting 48,000 CT exams for the lung screening study of the National Lung Screening Trial.

From 2002-2004, the Lung Screening Study (LSS) of the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) enrolled 34,614 participants, aged 55-74 years, at increased risk for lung cancer due to heavy cigarette smoking. Participants, randomized to standard chest X-ray (CXR) or computed tomography (CT) arms at ten screening centers, received up to three imaging screens for lung cancer at annual intervals. Participant medical histories and radiologist-interpreted screening results were transmitted to the LSS coordinating center, while all images were retained at local screening centers.