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Search Calendar
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| Positron Emission Tomography (PET): Detecting Cancer Early |
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| Start Date: | 1/20/2023 | Start Time: | 9:00 AM |
| End Date: | 1/20/2023 | End Time: | 10:50 AM |
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Event Description:
FLEX # 158
Fifty years ago, a cancer diagnosis was very often a death sentence for the patient because the primitive detection techniques then in use simply couldn’t find cancer until it was too late. Today, many cancers are detectable very early on using quite sophisticated techniques. One of the most versatile is called Positron Emission Tomography (PET). This technique uses a particular anti-matter radioactive decay mode to detect the presence of very small cancer clusters. It is being used successfully to detect brain, cervix, prostate, lung, and thyroid cancers as well as colorectal, pancreatic, lymphatic, and melanoma tumors. It is even being used to examine heart tissue to assess damage from coronary artery disease and it can image the brain to track the progression of ailments like Alzheimer’s disease. This workshop will give an overview of PET physics and the technology used to provide physicians with informative images. We’ll examine the radiation dose a patient typically receives, how the radioactive isotopes are prepared in a medical center, and how the body’s metabolic processes facilitate their use. We will also examine what the future holds for this amazing and painless technique. Who knows…given the prevalence of cancer and our increasingly long life spans, this workshop might provide a glimpse into your personal medical future. No background is needed. |
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