The FINANCIAL — At RSNA 2011, GE Healthcare is showcasing a range of molecular imaging tools designed to enable treatment evaluation earlier in a patient’s care pathway.
The company is introducing the new Discovery PET/CT 710, with 128-slice imaging capabilities, and Q.Suite — a collection of capabilities designed to extend quantitative PET by generating more consistent Standardized Uptake Value readings — enabling clinicians to assess treatment response accurately.
During the course of cancer treatment, clinicians traditionally gauge progress by looking for physical changes in the size of a tumor, typically using computed tomography or magnetic resonance. In many cases, however, metabolic changes in a tumor can be perceived earlier than physical ones, so quantitative PET can give physicians an additional, earlier way to view how well a treatment is working.According to the American Cancer Society in a 2010 report, the total economic impact of premature death and disability from cancer worldwide was $895 billion in 2008. This figure represents 1.5 percent of the world’s gross domestic product and does not include direct medical costs, which would further increase economic impact.
Prompted in part by these costs, doctors are seeking quantitative tools to obtain reproducible measurements over a longitudinal patient study. This may enable doctors to assess biological changes in a patient confidently during a course of treatment, and allow them to quickly and accurately modify treatment regimens. Potentially, these tools may contribute to personalized oncology care, improved patient care and reduced expenditures for ineffective treatment.
For quantitative PET to be effective, consistency of SUV measurements between a patient’s baseline scan and subsequent follow-up scans on a single scanner is critical. Variation can occur throughout the PET workflow, in areas from patient management and biology to equipment protocols and performance. Controlling these variables to increase consistency can improve the clinician’s confidence that an SUV change has useful clinical meaning.
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