Physicians
Case studies
"Analysis of data collected found that FDG-PET/CT is associated with a 36.5% change in the decision of whether or how to treat a patient’s cancer.
The physicians indicated that PET/CT enabled 91% of their patients to avoid future tests."
-National Oncologic PET/CT Registry
Breast Cancer
When developing a patient's treatment plan for breast cancer, a PET/CT scan first helps in determining whether cancer or a pre-cancerous condition exists. Later on, it helps in evaluating how an individual patient is responding to therapy and whether they should stay on the same treatment program.
Colorectal Cancer
PET/CT’s ability to more accurately assess the
presence or absence of cancer, and give physicians the
information needed to make the best treatment decisions,
provides patients with the optimum support and information
to get them through a difficult time.
Esophageal Cancer
PET/CT can play an important role in the treatment program
of an esophageal cancer patient. First, by determining the
patient's initial extent of the disease (staging), the
appropriate treatment is prescribed for their condition.
When imaged post-therapy, the PET/CT information can then
help restage the patient to determine the next steps in
treating their disease.
PET/CT in Head and Neck Cancer
PET/CT can assist physicians at various stages of head and
neck cancer. In diagnosing the disease, physicians using
PET/CT data often found primary H&N cancer even after other
extensive evaluations failed. PET/CT is also very effective
in determining the extent of disease (staging) so the
appropriate treatment program is provided to the patient.
Following radiotherapy, PET/CT should be the first
diagnostic step to detect local recurrence.
Lymphoma Cancer
Beyond it’s initial value in aiding diagnosis of lymphoma,
PET/CT helps answer the questions “Does the patient need
more treatment or not?” and ‘Does the patient have a good
prognosis after this course of therapy.” PET/CT, combined with
CT, offers the most accurate answers we have yet to these
questions, and provides the patient with important
information in making decisions about their treatment
program.
PET/CT in Melanoma Cancer
PET/CT can provide important information to patients
diagnosed with melanoma and their physicians in determining
the extent of the disease in order to ascertain the proper
treatment as well as determination of recurrence of disease
after treatment.
Thyroid
PET/CT can assist physicians at various stages of thyroid
cancer. Sometimes in the process of evaluating disease in
other parts of the body, the physicians find thyroid cancer
as a result of the PET/CT image data. PET/CT is also
effective in determining the extent of disease (staging) so
the appropriate treatment program is provided to the
patient. Following radioiodine therapy, PET/CT can be an
important diagnostic step to detect local recurrence.
Cardiology
PET/CT imaging can play an important role in the accurate assessment of myocardial perfusion, free from attenuation artifacts. PET/CT is also the gold standard for determining myocardial viability and suitability for coronary intervention.
Using PET/CT to Assess Myocardial Viability Positron Emission Tomography (PET/CT), utilizing 18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), is a well-recognized method to assess myocardial viability. FDG uptake equates with viability, and as many as 30%-50% of regions felt to be scar by standard nuclear tests are found to be viable with PET/CT. Additionally, categorization of myocardium as viable versus non-viable has important prognostic implications. The identification of viability on the PET/CT scan recommends revascularization, resulting in functional as well as symptomatic improvement in many patients.
Neurology
Positron Emission Tomography is a non-invasive, advanced
diagnostic imaging procedure that can provide unique
information to aid in the differential diagnosis of
Alzheimer's disease versus other dementias as well as assist
with the management of stroke, brain tumors, and epileptic
seizures. Since glucose is the primary source of energy for
cells in the brain, the radiopharmaceutical FDG, a glucose
derivative, helps to create a normal versus abnormal map of
brain function, as imaged in a PET/CT scan. Distinctive
patterns of glucose metabolism assist physicians in
accurately diagnosing patients and treating them
appropriately.