Saint RaphaelÂ’s uses a special scanner, known as a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner, to detect cancer and other diseases in their earliest stages of development. The PET scanner allows doctors to look at minute chemical and physiological changes related to metabolism and to see how the body is functioning. It also enables doctors to determine whether a lesion is cancerous (malignant) or noncancerous (benign) based on the level of cell activity in the body and the best treatment options.
The body scan procedure used is noninvasive and simple. Before having the scan, you will receive a dose of tracer, which contains substances that mimic those normally used in the body and which accumulate in diseased cells. You will lie on an electrically powered table that moves through the scanner, and the scan will begin.
In less than one hour, the scan detects the tracers, creating a picture of the distribution of the substances in your anatomy. This picture helps your doctor find where the disease is located and determine the extent or stage of a disease and how rapidly tumors are growing.
PET scans can also help monitor the progress of cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, monitor the recurrence of cancers and study brain disorders and heart disease.