PET (positron emission tomography) scans provide specific information about organ and cell functioning by distinguishing among healthy, diseased and dead tissue; CT scans provide a detailed picture of the body’s internal anatomy. Commonwealth Health’s PET/CT scanning technology combines the physiological information from a PET scan and the anatomical information from a CT scan to provide an image of the body in a single scan.

PET/CT imaging is primarily used to diagnose cancer and evaluate treatment by providing:

• Information about cellular activity to help doctors distinguish between benign and malignant tumors.
• A single, full-body scan that reveals where cancer exists.
• Evidence of cellular changes – which can be seen much earlier than structural changes – to allow doctors to evaluate treatments earlier and make necessary modifications.
• More accurate information to detect recurrence. PET/CT scans can provide clear images of tumors that are often obscured by scar tissue (from surgery or radiation) when using other imaging techniques.

Prostate Cancer Imaging

Commonwealth Health offers a new prostate-specific membrane antigen diagnostic imaging agent to evaluate patients with prostate cancer.

The radioactive diagnostic imaging agent is an injection used along with positron emission tomography (PET) imaging for men with prostate cancer:

• With suspected metastasis who are candidates for initial definitive therapy.
• With suspected recurrence based on elevated serum levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level.

A PET scan is often combined with a CT scan for better diagnostic accuracy. Compared to conventional imaging–such as bone, CT and MRI scans–a PET/CT scan with the imaging agent provides you and your doctor a clearer image of where the prostate cancer is and helps your doctor make more informed treatment choices.

Ask your urologist if this test is right for you.