Pet

PET stands for Positron Emission Tomography and is the newest technology available for early detection and diagnosis of cancer including lung, breast, melanoma, lymphoma, colorectal, head and neck, ovarian, pancreatic,esophageal and other cancers. PET also offers invaluable assistance in diagnosing and treating coronary artery disease and Alzheimer's disease. Cancer spreads silently in the body. When symptoms appear, it may signal more advanced disease. PET exposes "silent"

disease. PET allows a physician to examine

large areas of the body in a single scanning

session, producing images of human body

functions unobtainable by other imaging

techniques. These images capture biochemical

processes, such as tissue glucose metabolism,

that often cannot be revealed by anatomical

imaging with conventional X-ray, CT, or MRI.

Patient Benefits

The potential of diagnostic confidence for patients suspected to have cancer.

Potential reduction of invasive procedures such as biopsies or other local

therapies that may not be helpful.

Greater peace of mind for patients and their families, knowing that this technology provides comprehensive information. This technology also eliminates a "wait and see" approach, commonly used to monitor the patient during post-treatment. It may be used during the actual treatment phase at times to evaluate the patient's response to therapy.

To evaluate the significance of changes seen on CT exams or other imaging

modalities.

RELEVANCE TO CANCER

PET technology can help physicians answer the critical questions for many cancer patients in one exam:

Isa lesion benign or malignant?

Where is the cancer? Is it spreading?

What is the optimal therapy?

Is the therapy working?

Is there a recurrence of cancer?