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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : June 10, 2014 6:38 PM IST
Patients suffering from cancer often need to go through Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Positron emission tomography (PET scan). They are done to diagnose cancers, for checking their spread or to figure out the progress while on treatment.
Apollo Hospital in New Delhi has launched a PET-MR scanner which combines both the MRI and the PET scan, thus providing better imaging and timely diagnosis of the cancer. It is so accurate that it can often diagnose structural and functional changes in the body even before clinical symptoms begin to show. Some specialists also claim that it can help with diagnosis of certain heart and neurological diseases like Alzheimer's.
Dr Prathap C Reddy, chairperson of Apollo Hospitals said, 'It can help in early diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, particularly cancer in the skull base and spine region, which would earlier require undergoing separate tests - PET-CT and MRI.' Apart from the benefits mentioned above, the PET MR system is also supposed to expose the patient to lesser radiation than if he were to be subjected to both PET scan and MRI separately. The reduced exposure to radiation is particularly good for children, young women and those who require frequent scans.
The cost at Rs 55000 is a little prohibitive for a larger section of the Indian society. However, Dr Reddy claims it costs much lesser than what it does abroad. And if the numbers increase, the cost would automatically be reduced. In a country like ours, where the largest number of cancer deaths are due to the fact they are not diagnosed at the correct time, the PET MR system should be able to help.
Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
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