PET/CT Scanner Comes to Seton

A superior diagnostic imaging tool is now available at Seton Medical Center. A PET/CT scanner combines two of the most advanced imaging modalities that help physicians make the most accurate diagnoses possible, especially for cancer patients.Positron emission tomography (PET) is a highly sensitive method for identifying tumor sites in the body, including tumors too small to be detected by other means. “PET scanning lacks anatomical reference markers, however, so we can’t always tell the exact location of a tumor,” says Stephen Gerard, M.D., Ph.D., a Nuclear Physician, Clinical Pathologist, and Chief of Nuclear Medicine at Seton. “Computed tomography [CT] scanning provides precise detail of anatomic structures such as bones and soft tissue, so when you fuse the two images together digitally, more accurate assessments about the presence and extent of disease can be made.” For patients with lung, colon, breast, esophageal, cervical, melanoma, and head and neck cancers, the PET/CT scanner helps them receive the most appropriate treatment and monitors their response to that treatment.“Our new PET/CT scanner,” adds Dr. Gerard, “is another example of Seton’s commitment to clinical excellence, innovation, and leading technology.”