Positron-emission computerized tomography (PET/CT) is one of the main methods applied to diagnose malignant tumours and control the efficacy of their treatment with the use of radiopharmaceuticals.
PET/CT technology is used throughout the world in order to diagnose diseases in the following areas:
ONCOLOGY – approximately 90%
CARDIOLOGY – approximately 5%
NEUROLOGY – approximately 5%
According to global data drawn from the 2012 GLOBOCAN project of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in 2012:
- 14.1 million new cases of cancer were detected
- 8.2 million persons died of cancer
- 32.6 million patients were being followed for cancer
MODERN METHODS OF RADIODIAGNOSTICS USED IN ONCOLOGY
|
ANATOMICAL |
FUNCTIONAL |
COMBINED |
|
ULTRASOUND |
SPECT, PET |
PET/CT MRI, CT |
Anatomical methods: ultrasound
|
Advantages of the method |
Disadvantages of the method |
|
- safe for human beings - wide-spread availability and affordability of ultrasound equipment - user-friendly procedure - speed of the examination and rapid availability of the results |
- low resolution of the imaging |
Anatomical methods: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
|
Advantages of the method |
Disadvantages of the method |
|
- no exposure to radiation for the patient - possibility of obtaining a clear image - excellent contrast resolution, unlike the ultrasound method |
- impossibility of obtaining a functional diagnosis in order to define the level of activity of tissues or of a cell group |
Anatomical methods : computerized tomography (CT):
|
Advantages of the method |
Disadvantages of the method |
|
- image produced layer by layer - high spatial resolution - possibility of creating 3-D models of organs and tissues
|
- danger of ionizing radiation - impossibility of obtaining a functional diagnosis in order to define the level of activity of tissues or of a cell group |
Functional methods: positron-emission tomography (PET):
|
Advantages of the method |
Disadvantages of the method |
|
- unique sensitivity - high spatial resolution - possibility of adding biogenic elements to the composition of radiopharmaceuticals in order to detect processes specific to a given disease - provides data on the functional status of tissues presenting pathological modifications - possibility of adapting the treatment strategy |
- visualisation of the metabolical and functional activity of the pathological nidus, but to a lesser extent of the anatomical and morphological characteristics |
Anatomical and functional methods: positron-emission computerized tomography (PET/CT)
Advantages in comparison with the above-mentioned methods:
- assessment of the functional and biochemical parameters of the organism
- early diagnosis and clear definition of the cancer stage
- clear distinction between benign and malignant tumours
- detection of primary tumours and metastases with one single procedure
- possibility of assessing the efficacy of the administered therapy and applied treatment
- high sensitivity and specificity
- detection of small-sized cancerous tumours
Russia Austria Japan USA
Availability of PET-scanners per capita
USA – 1 scanner for 300’000 persons
Europe – 1 scanner for 1 million persons
Russia - 1 scanner for 8 million persons
