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 First Coast Oncology is one of the few facilities in Florida, as well as the nation, to integrate PET/CT simulation into 3 dimensional Treatment Planning. This technology provides the most advanced and accurate means for defining malignant areas and customizing Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) treatments. This allows the physician to deliver the highest appropriate radiation dose to treatment areas, while minimizing side effects to healthy tissue.
WHAT IS A PET/CT SCAN?
PET/CT scanning is one of the most powerful diagnostic tools available, allowing doctors to find the exact location of a tumor. PET/CT works by merging two techniques, each of which records a different part of the body:
- PET (Positron Emission Tomography) sees metabolic processes, which is useful for targeting a tumor. In a PET scan, the patient is injected with a small amount of radioactive sugar, which the scanner can see through the body. Cancer cells, because they grow more rapidly than healthy cells, often consume much of the sugar, allowing the scanner to make precise images of the tumor.
- Computed tomography (CT) sees the body; it is similar to a traditional x-ray, with several improvements. CT scans can show a high level of detail, and can take accurate pictures of the brain and body. CT scans are 360°, so 3-D pictures of the body can be made.
WHAT DOES A PET/CT AT FIRST COAST ONCOLOGY DO FOR YOU?
The images from the two scanners are combined to get a complete picture of the tumor location, size, and shape. This information is used when diagnosing and staging the disease, treatment planning, and monitoring treatment progress. The level of detail that PET/CT imaging gives, allows oncologists to reduce the amount of healthy tissue which is treated. Saving healthy tissue from treatment reduces the side effects that patients experience.
Alone, each imaging test has particular benefits and limitations but when the results of PET and CT scans are "fused" together, they help give your doctor information leading to better treatment for you. With the high-tech images that the PET/CT scanner provides, patients are given a better chance at a good treatment outcome and are able to avoid unnecessary procedures. A PET/CT image also provides early detection of the recurrence of cancer, revealing tumors that might otherwise be obscured by scar tissue that results from surgery and radiation therapy.  First Coast Oncology-Mandarin is accredited by the American Academy of Radiology for Positron Emission Tomography. ACR accreditation demonstrates our commitment to quality patient care and ensures that our equipment and staff have passed ACR’s rigorous evaluation.
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