S&T Fellow of DOST’s nuclear institute bags int’l best abstract award
Dr. Thomas Neil B. Pascual, S&T Fellow of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI), won the International Best Abstract Award 2022 for Philippines from the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI). The award was given during the SNMMI 2022 Annual Meeting held in Vancouver, Canada.
Dr. Pascual’s abstract titled “Cost-effectiveness of F-18 FDG PET/CT in lung and colorectal cancer: a systematic review and narrative synthesis” detailed briefly but thoroughly the result of his systematic review on 18-FDG PET/CT imaging.
F-18 FDG PET/CT is a useful imaging modality in cancer staging and response to treatment.
Based on his review, Dr. Pascual concluded that PET/CT is more cost-effective than CT scan alone in the staging requirements for colorectal and non-small cell lung cancer. He thus recommended to decision-makers to make sound judgement in choosing this technology, and to policymakers to consider funding this technology, to improve the cancer management strategy in the health care system.
The SNMMI honors and celebrates the extraordinary work that is being done around the globe to further the effectiveness of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging.
Meanwhile, the DOST Science and Technology (S&T) Fellows Program aims to boost the research and development capacity of the DOST research and development institutes and councils by engaging the services of highly qualified researchers, scientists, and engineers to beef up the Department’s S&T workforce. Fellows like Dr. Pascual are tasked to conduct or participate in the conceptualization, policy and funding development, and monitoring and evaluation of various R&D programs and projects implemented by the DOST through its various R&D institutes.
An expert in nuclear medicine, Dr. Pascual is assigned at the DOST-PNRI, the country’s lead agency in nuclear S&T, which is currently establishing the Nuclear Medicine Research and Innovation Center. (Framelia V. Anonas, DOST-PNRI)
