PET: Shedding New Light on Cancer

"We are currently undergoing a revolution in the way cancer is diagnosed, staged and treated," says Nuclear Medicine Section Head, Simindokht Dadparvar, MD. She is referring to Hahnemann’s newest tool in our cancer-fighting arsenal. "Positron emission tomography (PET) is unique because it is the first modality capable of providing a picture of the body’s biologic functions. It can reveal the biologic state of an active tumor and how well it is responding to chemotherapy or radiation."

PET imaging is a nuclear medicine diagnostic tool that makes photo scans of a patient’s entire body, measuring the uptake of a specially "labeled" radioactive sugar, which has been injected into the patient. Sugar is used because cancer cells burn more sugar than normal cells, allowing the PET scan to detect the slightest metabolic changes. The whole process takes only 90 minutes.

"A PET scan provides the oncologist with a highly sensitive staging tool that ‘lights up’ areas of involvement that a CT scan or MRI may not detect," says Isadore Brodsky, MD, director of Hematology/ Oncology at HUH. "Every cancer is different with a different outlook and prognosis. With PET, we have a distinctly visual way of measuring metabolic activity and seeing how extensive the disease process may be."

Currently, PET is used for the diagnosis, initial staging and restaging of non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, esophageal and colorectal cancer. It is also used for the initial staging and restaging of Hodgkins disease and non-Hodgkins lymphoma and for the restaging and evaluation of therapy of head and neck cancer. Myocardial viability studies and treatment evaluation of patients with dementia are two other excellent ways PET brings new clarity to diagnosis and treatment. PET is so accurate that 40 percent of patients who undergo a PET scan have the staging and treatment of their disease altered.

Dr. Dadparvar adds: "It is exciting to note that right now, many new and important indications for PET are being evaluated and should be approved within a short time."

PET, which is housed in a 48-feet mobile trailer pulled up to the hospital back door on Race Street on October 15; the state Department of Health made its inspection on October 16 and gave verbal approval on October 17th, opening the way for patient testing. The first two patients were scheduled for the following Tuesday, October 23.

Initially, the mobile PET scanner will be at Hahnemann one day a week (Tuesdays). Service will increase to twice a week as referrals increase. For information or to set up appointment, call Dr. Dadparvar at 215-762-7676.

Photo caption: PET’s highly sensitive imaging shows not just the physical structure of the body, but also whether tissue is normal or abnormal based on cellular metabolism. This is particularly significant for the early detection of cancer and some cardiac diseases.