You can now diagnose the spread of cancer in just 10 minutes

When it comes to a disease like cancer, technology plays a vital role in both diagnosis and treatment. Health Care Global (HCG) launched an advanced technology of a high definition (HD) PET CT scan, which is the next level of integrated imaging called the biograph mCT, the world’s first molecular CT. In just 10 minutes, this HD scan will help doctors access the exact spread of cancer and treat the patient more efficiently and effectively.

“This is an advanced technology with the ability to make the diagnosis precise. Thus, during treatment, radiotherapy can be targeted to the cancer cells without affecting the good cells. With this technology, the side effects of radiotherapy can be minimised,” said Dr Rodney Hicks, professor and director-molecular imaging, Peter Mac Callum Cancer Center, Melbourne.
Since PET CT scan helps in analysing the organ, both anatomically and metabolically, the technology can help pick diseases well in advance.

“Metabolic changes of an organ can be noticed much before anyone can see anatomical changes. Thus, early diagnosis is possible through PET CT,” said Dr Kallur KG, director, molecular imaging, HCG.

Another benefit of this technology is that the patient can undergo an HD PET CT after a few weeks of treatment to see if the drugs are having a positive effect, explained Dr Hicks.

“Since cancer treatment is expensive, if the drugs don’t have a positive effect on the patient, the drugs can be changed immediately. This way, the patient and his family no longer have to shell out money for a futile treatment,” he added.

“If the treatment is expensive, toxicity is high and responses are low, we  can advice a second PET CT after a month or two months of treatment,” said Hicks.

Each scan machine will cost about `10 to 12 crore.  India has already acquired 70 PET CT scan machines and the first hospital to buy one was  Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai in 2006.
HCG alone has four similar machines across its centres and has ordered for five more advanced HD PET CT scanners.

As of now, HCG is the only centre in India to have acquired HD PET CT.

“The utility of this machine is not limited to cancer treatment.  Iit is also used for cardiology and neurology treatments. The scan helps in selection of cases for any particular procedure.