At Contra Costa Oncology, we take pride in providing our patients with the most advanced technology. That is why we now offer PET/CT scanning, the most advanced diagnostic imaging tool for oncology. Positron Emission Tomography, commonly referred to as PET, is an advanced diagnostic procedure that detects changes in cellular function in the body. A CT, Computed Tomography or some times called CAT (Computed Axial Tomography) scan, is an X-ray imaging procedure that produces structural images of your internal organs with greater clarity than conventional X-ray images. PET/CT can assess abnormalities of the heart and brain as well as identify any cancer in the body. Together, PET and CT can be used to diagnose and manage disease with greater accuracy.
The clinical advantages of PET/CT:
- Detailed diagnostic information not available from other imaging tests
- Earlier detection of disease
- Improved staging of the disease and better monitoring of cancer recurrences
- Improved targeting of metabolically active cancers for radiation therapy
- More effective tracking of the results of treatment therapy
PSMA PET Imaging
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancer diagnoses in men. PSMA PET imaging can help with early detection. The prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET imaging significantly improves how prostate cancer is detected and treated.
Previously to see if prostate cancer spread, doctors would run two tests, a bone scan looking for inflamed bones coupled with a CT scan to look for growth. But the PSMA scan “is both tests in one,” Sherman said. “It is more specific for finding the prostate cancer cells anywhere in the body. The radioactive contrast binds directly to prostate cancer cells and lights them up.”
Now doctors can identify spots or lesions that would not have been seen before. The scan is more effective, sensitive, and specific in pinpointing and identifying tumors in the prostate and throughout the body in cases where cancer has spread.
Gallium-68 Dotatate Scans
This is the only site in the East Bay with the ability to do Gallium-68 Dotatate Scans.
In addition to improved diagnostic info and quantitation, there is less radiation exposure for the patient, and the study takes a couple of hours instead of a couple days in comparison to an Octreoscan.
Our new PET/CT scan center is located at:
575 Lennon Lane., Suite 153
Walnut Creek, CA 94597
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