This year over 550,000 Americans will die of cancer, the American Cancer Society estimates. Positron emission tomography has become an indispensable tool in fighting many types of cancer, such as colon cancer, lung cancer and lymphoma. By measuring subtle changes in metabolism in the body's cells, this revolutionary imaging technology can improve patients' treatment by detecting small cancer tumors that other tests would miss. For many cancers, PET also saves money by guiding physicians to more effective treatment options and eliminating unnecessary surgical treatments and biopsies.
PET improves treatment and reduces costs for many cancers such as lung and colorectal cancer.
Over 164,000 Americans were diagnosed with lung cancer in 2000, according to the American Cancer Society. Last year, about 157,000 patients died from the disease. Colorectal cancer is the third most common form of cancer, with almost 94,000 new cases diagnosed last year. An analysis performed by the Academy of Medical Imaging found PET is better at identifying patients who are not good candidates for surgical treatment. Private health plans began covering PET for indications such as lung cancer and head and neck cancer in the early 1990s.