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PET/CT
Scanner
Sibley's commitment to cancer diagnosis and treatment continues
with acquisition of the revolutionary PET/CT scanner made by GE
Medical Systems. PET/CT is the acknowledged gold standard for medical,
surgical and radiation oncology. It enables physicians to diagnose
cancer early, treat it with extraordinary precision and monitor
treatment efficacy quickly and accurately. It will support the
medically sophisticated cancer care here at Sibley and it will also
be available as a resource to physicians throughout the region.
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In addition To Cancer Care:
- PET/CT is considered the gold standard for assessing whether
a heart muscle is viable for bypass surgery. It can reveal whether
the muscle is merely "asleep" or "dead."
- PET/CT is also used in the diagnosis of and treatment planning
for intractable seizure disorders—cases where seizures do
not respond to medication.
Now Available for Download:
Whole Body PET/CT
A Guide for Patients (PDF)
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The How And Why Of PET/CT.
Both PET and CT enable physicians to "see inside" the body.
Computed tomography (CT) uses radiation to capture highly detailed, high-resolution
anatomic information. It enables physicians to identify lesions and masses
that may be malignant.
On the other hand, positron emission tomography (PET) reveals metabolic
function at the cellular level. Changes in cell processing are the first
indications of cancer and they are evident long before structural abnormalities
develop. Since PET is highly sensitive to even small changes in cell function,
it is invaluable in the early diagnosis of cancer.
In order to take advantage of both the anatomic detail offered by CT and
the specificity of PET, some physicians have been working with a CT from
one machine and a PET scan from another machine. By considering the information
from both sets of images, the physician makes a judgment about whether
a mass (as indicated by the CT scan) reveals a high level of metabolic
activity (as revealed by the PET scan.) Doing this well can be difficult
and sometimes impossible because images from one machine frequently do
not align with images from another.
A PET/CT scan performed at one point in time on a single machine provides
a fused image that precisely places the information about cellular activity
in an accurate anatomical context. According to Frederick P. Smith MD,
a respected Washington-area medical oncologist, PET/CT takes the diagnosis
and treatment of cancer to a new level. "We no longer have to make
assumptions about what is cancer and what is not. We know for sure and
we know early on. We do not have to estimate placement. We can pinpoint
it with absolute certainty. This specificity and accuracy lets us define
a targeted treatment plan with a very high level of confidence about its
potential effectiveness."
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CT shows anatomy
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PET reveals increased cellular activity indicating
cancer. |
PET/CT accurately places cancer in an anatomical
context |
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Understanding The Technology
PET relies on a tracer called18FDG. It is a combination of a positron
emitter and a glucose analog. Tumor cells take up this tagged glucose
look-alike more avidly than other cells and they also hold it more
tenaciously. The result is that malignant lesions—even as small
as a few millimeters—are dramatically highlighted in a PET
scan. With a PET/CT, these "hot" areas are presented in
an accurate anatomic context.
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 "Combining
the functional information of PET and the anatomic information of CT is
a sophisticated technological accomplishment. It is revolutionizing the
diagnosis and treatment of cancer."
Richard D. Newman MD
Chairman
Department of Radiology
PET/CT is a proven tool in the
treatment and diagnosis of the following
- Lymphoma
- Lung Cancer
- Colon Cancer
- Esophageal Cancer
- Melanoma
- Breast Cancer
- Pulmonary Nodules
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Intractable Seizure
Disorders
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"PET/CT takes the
diagnosis and treatment of cancer to a whole new level."
Frederick P. Smith MD
Medical Oncologist
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