PET / CT
Acibadem Sistina Hospital has opened the first private PET Center in Macedonia and in the region. The hospital disposes of PET / CT scan which identifies tumors in their early stages and determines whether these tumors are malignant or benign. The scan is also used in diagnosis of neurological and cardiac disorders.
PET/CT is one of the most effective imaging techniques available today. In short, PET/CT is an imaging technique which shows the functions of organs and tissues in the human body at the metabolic level, and which combines strengths of PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and CT (Computed Tomography) which provides detailed anatomical information. PET/CT, especially used in oncology for identification of tumors, determining how far the tumor has spread, radiotherapy planning, the evaluation of patients’ response to treatment and determining whether the existing bulk is benign or malign in some cases, has become widely used in Turkey over the last 4 years, as it has in the whole world. The fields in which this method is widely used on cancer patients, both in Turkey and in the world, are not limited to oncology. PET/CT also plays a key role in determining epileptic focus, in neurological cases such as Alzheimer’s disease and in search for presence of live tissues in the heart after a heart attack. Thus, it opens a new era in diagnosis and treatment of some neurological and cardiological disorders.
In which phases of cancer is PET / CT used?
PET / CT IN EARLY DIAGNOSIS
PET/CT offers many significant advantages in early diagnosis. It offers the opportunity to identify many disorders at the beginning phase. In pre-PET/CT periods, it was determined only by biopsy whether nodules in the body are cancerous or not, whereas now it is determined at a high rate of precision whether these lesions are cancerous or not with PET/CT. In PET/CT imaging, it is possible to visualize tumors as small as 5 mm in diameter, as information belonging to the patient’s body images is obtained through advance computer systems. PET/CT, by taking advantage of the increased glucose metabolism, a feature of cancerous cells, facilitates establishment of fast and reliable diagnosis without taking any samples.
Clinical cases where PET/CT is applied
• LUNG CANCERS
• LYMPHOMAS
• THYROID CANCERS
• BREAST CANCERS
• PANCREATIC CANCERS
• COLON CANCERS
• MELANOMA
• BRAIN TUMORS
• OTHER AREAS OF APPLICATION
Did you know?
• PET/ CT diagnoses different types of cancer, heart and neurological diseases. The use of this diagnostic device eliminates the need of additional examinations and diagnostic procedures.
• PET/ CT is safe.
• One use of the PET/ CT replaces application of many other examinations and diagnostic procedures.
• PET/ CT displays all organic systems in only one image.
• PET/ CT enables early diagnostics of many illnesses, unlike other diagnostic methods.
• PET/ CT displays the course of the illness and the body reaction to the treatment.
• PET/ CT gives important information regarding treatment planning.
