Body Scanner Shows Promise in Cancer Treatment

A body scanner has been set up at Delhi hospital detects cancerous cells quickly and this may go a long way in selection of treatment for cancer patients, say officials.

The Positron Emission Tomography-Magnetic Resonance (PET-MR) has been combined with PET Computerised Tomography (CT) to create the PET Suite which scans patients quicker, thus reducing discomfort and helping in therapy selection and treatment.

Computed Tomography Scan (CT Scan)
Computed Tomography (CT) scan is a type of medical examination that uses X-rays and computer processing to create sectional images of the body to provide more efficient results than X-rays.

"Since they (doctors) can simultaneously acquire data from the whole body, the scanning takes less time, thus, reducing the discomfort of the patient," Prathap C. Reddy, chairman of the Apollo Hospitals Group, told reporters here.

"As MR has no radiation, this machine can significantly reduce the overall radiation dose, making it safer for paediatrics and patients undergoing repeated studies for therapy monitoring," he added.

Compared to hospitals abroad, "the cost is 75 percent less and diagnostic accuracy is 100 percent," said Uma Ravishankar, head of the department of molecular imaging and nuclear medicine.

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Besides detecting cancer, PET-MR can also play a major role in understanding cardiology and neurological diseases, doctors said.

The PET Suite will be formally launched Feb 16 by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

World Cancer Death Clock
World Cancer Death Clock is a dynamic calculator that constantly updates the number of people in the world dying due to various cancers.

India has approximately three million cancer patients.

Source-IANS

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