PET/CT combines the sensitivity to detect the presence or extent of disease using Positron Emission Tomography with the localization information of Computed Tomography. The result is changing the way people manage patients nationwide.

PET is a noninvasive diagnostic imaging procedure that identifies abnormal glucose metabolism. In patients with cancer, changes in glucose cell metabolism occur before a tumor mass forms. Therefore, PET can often identify the presence of disease earlier than diagnostic tools that image anatomy, such as CT or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). As a result, PET offers important TNM staging information. It is particularly valuable in the staging of nodal involvement and distant metastatic disease. For doctors, understanding the full extent of disease is critical to choosing the appropriate treatment pathway.

PET/CT technology improves clinical care by providing physicians with a tool that:
Enables earlier detection of certain cancers, coronary diseases, or neurologic problems
Eliminates the need for some invasive tests – biopsies, cardiac catheters
Provides an indication of the effect of the prescribed cancer treatment

The Advantages of PET/CT
OMI provides community-based cancer centers nationwide with leading solutions, strategies and technologies that create an environment for improved care and greater economic stability. With OMI, oncology groups can provide services in-house that lead to greater convenience for patients and greater opportunity for success, without the hassles of long term debt or other concerns associated with moving forward with a new venture. With OMI, practices get a partner that assists with every step of the process, from conception to completion to ongoing management.

Anatomical imaging modalities, such as CT and MRI, are usually limited to evaluating the morphology of disease, for example whether or not a lesion is present or whether a lymph node is enlarged. However, this anatomical picture does not always tell the whole story. In contrast, PET allows assessment of chemical and physiological changes related to metabolism, an important assessment since functional changes often predate structural changes in tissues. Consequently, PET imaging may demonstrate pathological changes or changes due to response to therapy before they would be revealed by modalities like CT and MRI.

Like traditional nuclear medicine imaging tests, PET uses unique compounds called radiopharmaceuticals, or "tracers", labeled with isotopes that allow a scanner to "trace" the distribution of those compounds throughout the body. Unlike most tracers used in traditional Nuclear Medicine, the radiopharmaceuticals used in PET are often derived from the basic elements of biological substrates. These PET tracers mimic natural substrates such as sugars, water, amino acids, nucleic acids, and oxygen.

As a result, PET will often reveal more about the cellular-level metabolic status of a disease than other types of imaging modalities. Typically, the metabolic information provided by PET in conjunction with the anatomic information afforded by CT or MRI provides the optimal clinical answer.

PET also stands alone in its ability to quantify physiological and biochemical measurements in vivo. This is most important in research applications, but also offers certain advantages to the qualitative or semi-quantitative techniques employed in routine clinical PET studies.

PET/CT technology:

Enhances care and management of patients
Adds leading technology in-house
Leads to faster results
Adds continuum of care
Augments competitive edge
Enhances practice guidelines
Provides an opportunity for involvement in NOPR (National Oncologic PET Registry)
Provides new revenue stream with controlled risk