The American College of Radiology (ACR) is monitoring developments following approval of the fiscal year (FY) 2025 Labor Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) appropriations bill.
In a July 23 communication, the ACR highlighted a House Appropriations Committee's FY 2025 Labor-HHS companion report item pertaining to medical imaging technologies in cancer screening trials. The committee emphasized the role of medical imaging as clinical laboratory blood tests to detect cancer make their way into clinical trials.
"Medical imaging, as a means of conducting diagnostic workup following a positive assay and as a method for disease characterization, is essential to this clinical trial and assessment process," the committee stated.
"As the Administration aims to reach a 50% reduction in overall age-standardized cancer mortality in the U.S. by 2047, imaging is a known necessity for a cancer diagnosis and treatment and should continue to hold a core function in the clinical trial process," the committee continued. "The Committee urges [the National Cancer Institute] to include imaging technologies and tools in these clinical trials, as they are the essential component of each precise cancer diagnosis and help ensure patients receive the most effective and impactful care."
Medical imaging was highlighted in multiple portions of the bill’s report language, the ACR said, adding that it continues to advocate for at least $51.3 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)’s base program level in FY 2025. However, the FY 2025 Labor-HHS bill proposes to restructure the NIH, the ACR noted.
In late June, the ACR called out the NIH proposal for its potential to create prohibitions on certain types of research and other activities, and to cap reimbursement of facilities and administrative expenses for certain institutions.
