TAMC Brings Powerful Tool in Cancer Diagnosis
and Treatment to Aroostook County
TAMC officials announced the exciting news last
December that the Presque Isle medical center was
taking the next step in cancer care for northern Maine
by committing $1.5 million to bring PET scan technology to the region. That promise became a reality when
the first patients in Aroostook County received a PET/
CT scan locally beginning in mid-June.
A PET (positron emission tomography) scan is a nuclear
test that shows a person’s physiology, looking at the biological behavior of lesions or abnormalities. While a CT
(computerized tomography) scan is an anatomical test,
showing where in the body the tumor is, the PET scan is
more of a functional test, showing how things are working. The new PET/CT scanner at TAMC performs both
of these tests in one patient sitting and merges the scans
together for the best view possible.
While there are other uses for a PET scan, it is primarily
used for tumor detection and staging, which is the evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment. PET/CT scans
are used in some form or other in guiding therapy for
common cancers, according to Dr. Arjun Sood, the lead
medical oncologist at TAMC’s Aroostook Cancer Care.
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“This is a powerful tool in the cancer treatment process,” said Sood. “PET/CT scans are incorporated in
diagnosis, staging, prognosis determination and response assessment. Increasingly, they are incorporated
in treatment planning for newer modalities of radiation
therapy.”
Statistics show that approximately 300 County patients
have traveled annually to Bangor to have a PET scan.
Others who would benefit from this kind of test opt for
a different imaging procedure that is less effective for
their needs because they cannot make the trip, according
Randy Bacon, director of ancillary services at TAMC.
“This will mean
earlier detection,
more accurate
detection and
better continuity
of treatment.”
~Randy Bacon
“Having this technology
locally provides convenience for patients and
opens up this higher
level of care to those
who could not access it
before. This will mean
earlier detection, more
accurate detection
and better continuity