New scanner an ‘essential tool’ in battling cancer

A positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET-CT) scanner might not be everybody’s idea of the perfect present, but don’t try to tell that to Dr. Jon Glazer, certified diagnostic radiologist at Vero Radiology Associates.

After all, what kind of science guy or science girl wouldn’t want an awesome new tool that’s – at least in part – regulated by the International Atomic Energy Agency, and that combines two kinds of images to give doctors a much clearer look at the interior of the human body than any single-scan device.

Manufactured by General Electric and named Discovery IQ, the scanner has earned rave reviews from medicalphysicsweb.org, which praises its “outstanding image quality and intelligent quantitation in helping physicians deliver the best possible patient outcomes.”

Indeed, the site goes on to call the Discovery IQ “an essential tool in delivering personalized patient care” that enables physicians like Glazer to see much smaller lesions deep within the body that could signal the beginning stages of a variety cancers much earlier than previously possible. It also makes its scans faster and emits lower doses of radiation while still producing improved image quality.

Glazer says he sees four primary advantages to the new million-dollar scanner that was recently installed at his 11th Circle offices.

“The biggest advantage, in my book,” the University of Maryland Medical School grad explains, “is it reduces radiation.” For the PET scan alone, he continues, “we went down almost half in radiation. Right now our average dose is in the 7-8 milliliter range and it was more like somewhere between 15 to 17 milliliters, so it’s about half as much now.”

“The second advantage,” according to Glazer, “is the time spent in the scanner. It’s now 20 minutes a patient. Previously it was 35 minutes, so it’s almost half as well, which helps the patient.”

The third advantage, continues Glazer, “is the quality. The sensitivity is better, so we can see smaller abnormalities.”

Finally, Glazer points to the actual physical length of the Discovery IQ.

Glazer says with older scanners, “we had to actually stop mid-way and turn the patient around” in order to get a full body scan, which “was a pain for the patient and a pain for us.”

Developed over a three-year period at a cost of over $15 million in Bangalore, India, this GE device not only scans for pre-cancerous lesions, it can also help monitor the progress of a patient’s cancer treatments, including targeted radiation and chemotherapy.

Another endorsement of the Discovery IQ comes from Sebastian resident and breast cancer survivor Judy Jones.

Jones’ oncologist, Dr. Noor Merchant of the Sebastian River Medical Center and Florida Cancer Specialists, ordered her Discovery IQ scan, as she puts it, “just as a precaution thing. Just to make sure everything’s OK.”

Precautionary or not, Jones minces no words in her review of the new device.

“This machine,” she exclaims, “is awesome. It’s big. I have more room. More air. And it’s comfortable. And quicker. Much quicker than the old one.”

Jones’ praise then quickly spills over to the Vero Radiology Associates staff in general, and lead PET scan technician Ken Klein in particular.

“They’re wonderful. All of them, I have to say, and Ken, he’s the best. They’re all nice but he treats you like he’s known you forever and he’s your best friend. He’s very helpful. A great guy.”

Still, there is more to consider when judging a medical diagnostic tool than patient satisfaction, and the Discovery IQ seems to be delivering on that front, as well.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology says doctors nowadays often use PET/CT scans to “see how well cancer treatments are working.”

According to Imaging Technology News, post-cancer treatment exploratory surgeries now are mostly unnecessary given the high-resolution images these scans can deliver.

Then there’s the International Atomic Energy Agency which, by federal statute, is charged with helping provide patient safety standards and guidelines for such devices.

The IAEA says that while PET and CT scans are different, they are definitely “complementary.”

“A PET scan,” says IAEA, “shows areas with increased metabolic activity, while the CT scan shows detailed anatomical locations. A combination of these two images together enables a doctor to tell whether a region with high metabolic activity is significant” or of concern.

Moreover, the IAEA says that combined PET/CT scans can help monitor the effectiveness of treatments for a variety of diseases in addition to cancer.

So far both Glazer and the new scanner have been busy.

Says Glazer, “It’s only been here since about March or April, about three months, and we have done … 300 to 400 scans” already.

Dr. Jon Glazer is with Vero Radiology Associates at 3725 11th Circle in Vero Beach. The phone number is 772-562-0163.

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