Ruby Hall Clinic has acquired country’s first “Time of Flight” PET-CT scanner in 2008.

PET-CT combines the strengths of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with those of Computed Tomography (CT). This fusion imaging technology has revolutionized field of medical imaging by adding precision of anatomic localization to functional imaging.Particularly in Oncology; Cancer staging, surgical planning and radiation therapy have been changing rapidly under the influence of PET-CT.With this worldwide accepted “Ultimate in Cancer Diagnosis” technology, Ruby Hall Clinichas augmented its “Fight Against Cancer”.

PET/CT is a combination of a PET scan and a CT scan obtained at one time and by a single piece of equipment. CT produces a detailed anatomic map of the body and shows structural abnormalities in minute detail while PET produces metabolic map of body by injecting a radioactive tracer and tracking its distribution into the body and thus can identify chemical and physiological changes related to metabolism. This is important since the metabolic changes shown by PET often occur before structural changes develop. So PET is able to detect certain diseases before other imaging modalities by visualizing the metabolic processes occurring in the body.

“The PET scan at Ruby Hall Clinic, is the most advanced Cancer diagnosis technology across the world.”

The Philips Gemini TF PET/CT scanner combines the latest Time-of-flight PET technologywith a state-of-the-art 16 slice CT scanner.Fast and accurate scanning with least radiation exposure, are features of the TOF PET scan at Ruby Hall Clinic. In addition, the whole body PET CT scan is finished just in 12 min. It’s an OPEN PET CT gantry, which means there is no claustrophobia (Fear of closed places) as there is no long tunnel in which the patient has to go for scanning.

PET-CT in Oncology:

PET/CT is particularly effective in identifying whether Cancer ispresent or not, if it hasspread, if it is responding to treatment and if a person is Cancer free after treatment.

Early Detection: Because PET/CT images biochemical activity, it can accurately characterize some tumors as benign or malignant, thereby avoiding surgical biopsy when the PET/CT scan is negative.
Staging of Cancer: PET/CT is extremely sensitive in determining the full extent of disease, especially in lymphoma, malignant melanoma, breast or lung Cancers. Confirmation of the presence or absence of metastatic disease allows physician to more effectively decide how to proceed with the patient’s management.
Checking for Recurrences: PET/CT can differentiate tumor recurrences from radiation necrosis or post-surgical changes and thus useful in deciding more rational treatment plan for patient.
Assessing the Effectiveness of Therapy: The level of tumor metabolism is compared on PET/CT scans taken before and after a chemotherapy cycle. PET/CT can provide important information about the effectiveness of a chemotherapy.

PET-CT scans are used for many types of Cancer. From the research, we know that in some Cancers PET-CT scans can help to:

• Diagnose Cancer
• Stage a Cancer
• Make decisions about whether you can have surgery to remove your Cancer
• Make decisions about which is the best treatment for your Cancer
• Show how well the treatment is working
• Show the difference between post-treatment scar tissue and active Cancer tissue
• Check whether your Cancer has come back
• Find the place in the body where your Cancer first started to grow (primary site of Cancer)