PET/CT scanner and sample scans

Hawthorn Medical now has the very latest technology in cancer diagnosis and care. The new technology, known as PET/CT, combines the benefits of both Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Computed Tomography (CT) all in one scan, allowing physicians to diagnose cancer more quickly and accurately.

Better, faster scans translate into more precise cancer treatment, and ultimately greater chance of recovery and improved quality of life for our patients.

PET/CT provides oncologists and other specialists the most comprehensive clinical information available for managing cancer. PET/CT integrates diagnostic PET and CT technologies into a single device, making it possible for doctors to collect both anatomical and biological information during a single examination. The information obtained by PET/CT allows for accurate tumor detection and localization for a variety of cancers, including melanoma, lymphoma, lung, colorectal, head and neck, and ovarian cancers.

Before having a scan, patients receive a dose of a "tracer," which mimics substances found naturally in the body including water, sugars and proteins. These tracers accumulate in diseased cells. During the scan, the tracers are detected by the PET/CT system, creating an image of the patient and highlighting any abnormal physiology. The benefits this new technology offers patients are tremendous and include earlier cancer diagnosis, greater accuracy in determining the stage that the cancer is in, and treatment that is more precise.

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