The PET scanning service will be offered in collaboration with Vantage Healthcare Network and NEO PET, an Ohio-based provider of mobile PET service. By using PET, oncologists can determine whether the cancer has spread to other organs, the location of the primary source of cancer, and if the cancerous tumors are responding to treatments or surgery. This is a very useful tool in the fight against cancer. Information about the cancer is obtained after injecting special radio-labeled tracers, most commonly sugar, into the patient. The tracers are quickly distributed to the cells of the body in proportion to the rate at which they are metabolized.
Cancer cells metabolize sugar faster than normal cells.
As a result, tumor cells concentrate more radio-labeled sugar than normal cells, allowing tumors of sufficient size to be easily detected. We are able to monitor the metabolic activity in a tumor, just not its size. By using PET, physicians are able to interpret the detailed information on a tumor and begin treatment. In some cases, physicians are able to obtain the needed data without having to perform costly and invasive surgical procedures. In addition to being able to treat cancer sooner, physicians can monitor the effectiveness of the treatment.