Take a Closer Look at LGH

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

Location

Directions to The Cancer Center

Lowell General Hospital is home to the area's first installed Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging system. It is only the second permanent fixed PET system in a community hospital in New England.

The PET imaging system is the most advanced cancer diagnostic system available, allowing cancer to be detected more quickly and accurately; often without the need for additional imaging or interventional procedures. For example, a PET scan can determine if a lesion or tumor is benign or malignant. In many cases, this can be determined without a biopsy or the removal of the organ or tissue. PET can define the full extent of cancer at the time of diagnosis, guiding physicians in the optimal use of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy treatment.

The spacious and comfortable PET suite is located on the second floor of The Cancer Center. The fixed PET system at Lowell General is available five days a week. Services are provided by New England PET of Greater Lowell.

What To Expect During a PET Scan

PET scans can usually be performed in about an hour as an outpatient procedure. Prior to the procedure, a small amount of a radioactive "tracer" is injected into the bloodstream. Then, you lie down in a quiet room for 30 to 60 minutes to allow the tracer to circulate through your body. At that point, you lay on a table that passes slowly through the PET scanner, which looks much like a CT scanner. The scanner creates an image of your body and metabolic process within organs and organ systems.

What The PET Scan Can Detect

PET can track the progress of the disease and how the body is responding to treatment, allowing physicians to seek alternative therapies for those patients who are not responding to treatment. PET scans detect recurrence of cancer long before other imaging tests would reveal it, giving physicians and early indication when additional treatment is needed.

In addition to its advances in cancer detection, PET is used for early detection of heart and neurological diseases. PET is the most accurate test to reveal whether heart tissue is alive and will benefit from a bypass surgery. PET can also detect and define brain disorders, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and seizure disorders.

Dining to Donate2007 Economic Impact StudyTeamWalk for Cancer Care