DMSHG PET - Breast Cancer

When developing a patient’s treatment plan for breast cancer, a PET scan first helps in determining whether cancer or a pre-cancerous condition exists. Later on, it helps in evaluating how an individual patient is responding to therapy and whether they should stay on the same treatment program.

Oncology (cancer) experts encourage PET scans for potential breast cancer patients, and cite these important reasons:


Early Detection of Disease
	"It is known that the metabolic changes that are associated with disease happen much earlier than any change in the size or structure of the organ."

		– Farrokh Dehdashti, M.D. Associate Professor of Radiology Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology

Precise Staging of Disease Progression
	"PET can be very useful in establishing early on the presence or absence of metastatic disease in important critical organs such as lung, liver and bone."

		– Marie Taylor, M.D. Associate Radiation Oncologist Washington University School of Medicine

Accurate Assessment of Therapy
	"There is overwhelming evidence that PET scanning allows the surgeon to better assess patients pre-operatively, and to assess response to therapy in patients with large tumors, nodal metastases, and systemic disease. This information has allowed us to alter therapy when patients are not responding appropriately."

		– Virginia Hermann, M.D. Professor of Surgery Director – Breast Surgical Program Washington University School of Medicine

Other means of diagnosing cancer, like mammograms and CT scans are important and extremely helpful. PET scans go a step further, however, in detecting conditions that mammography and CT scans don’t always pick up, and in helping to make a more meaningful analysis of the diagnostic information they do provide.

PET offers important benefits in improving patient care. Patients are obviously very concerned with their cancer and their treatment plan. PET helps determine where their cancer is and gives important information about what it’s likely to do. It helps prevent overly aggressive surgery in patients with cancer, who might better benefit from other types of treatment. It’s also a key test that can establish that cancer doesn’t exist – giving the patient greater peace of mind.

Ask your doctor or oncologist for more information about PET scans and their usage.

DMS PET information powered by PET Foundations from Cardinal Health

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