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Winter 2004 AAMC Offers "See and Treat" Technology to Cancer Patients
More than 6 million people worldwide will die from cancer this year, according to the World Health Organization. In the United States, one in three will be diagnosed with cancer. That's why Anne Arundel Medical Center has partnered with GE Medical Systems, the global leader in medical technology, and Varian Medical Systems, to become the first See and Treat® Cancer Care center in the United States. 
Discovery ST PET/CT Scanners acquire vital multi-modality information quickly and accurately. AAMC now offers the Discovery ST, a redesigned PET/CT system completely optimized for cancer care. This system integrates a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner with a multi-slice Computed Tomography (CT) scanner and is capable of 2D and 3D imaging for all patient studies or sizes. This Discovery ST system provides physicians with more sensitivity, speed, resolution, and diagnostic confidence when treating cancer patients. The "ST" in Discovery ST stands for "See and Treat," which is what this new system allows physicians to do. The Discovery ST assists physicians in "seeing" the disease and planning radiation therapy treatment. The new Discovery ST system shortens scan times and provides improved image quality in both 2D and 3D modes. "Less time on the table means faster results and greater patient comfort," said Medical Director of Onocology Stanley P. Watkins, Jr., M.D. "With the Discovery ST, we encounter better image quality and greater confidence in image interpretation. The new Discovery ST allows you not only to 'see' the disease, but to begin to 'treat' it." "The Discovery ST is another example of AAMC's commitment to innovation and technology for early disease detection, supporting physicians in improved diagnosis and treatment," said John Surprenant, director of the DeCesaris Cancer Institute. "This technology allows physicians better radiation therapy planning. It also gives greater flexibility in positioning larger patients and helps claustrophobic patients." GE's Discovery ST combines the fastest and most sophisticated computed tomography (CT) technology with the most advanced Positron Emission Tomography (PET) technology - all in a single exam. PET creates images of high metabolic activity in the body, rather than creating images of anatomy only. CT scans allows AAMC doctors to see the internal structures within the human body. Together, a PET/ CT scan allows physicians to view metabolic activity and pinpoint where abnormal lesions are located so that they may target the disease. Before having a PET/CT scan, the patient receives a dose of a radiopharmaceutical tracer containing substances that mimic those normally used in the body including water, sugars, proteins and oxygen. These tracers accumulate in diseased cells. During the scan, the tracers are detected by the system creating an image of the patient and highlighting any abnormal physiology. This image helps physicians determine if disease is present, the location and extent of disease, and track how rapidly it is spreading. The GE Discovery ST is manufactured by GE Medical Systems of Waukesha, Wisconsin. |
