PET/CT

At Capital Regional Cancer Center, a mobile unit provides PET/CT services twice a week. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a tremendous technology for identifying the location of cancer in the body. It is an especially powerful tool when combined with a CT scan. This technology is currently used at the time of diagnosis to help determine the stage of the cancer in certain patients. That means that it is used to determine whether or not the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

For some patients who have already completed their treatment, PET/CT also represents a way to monitor both the success of the treatment and to determine if the cancer has come back or spread to other parts of the body. The PET/CT unit can also be used for treatment simulation as part of the treatment planning process.