GRIFFIN, GA – July 1, 2010 - Spalding Regional Medical Center began offering an advanced diagnostic screening on Monday, June 28 to better aid physicians as they diagnose, stage and treat cancer patients. This mobile PET/CT unit will be located at the hospital near Outpatient Radiology. PET/CT may help local physicians by providing more accuracy in finding tumors and determining size, spread of the disease and assist in determining optimal therapy.
PET is an acronym for Positron Emission Tomography, a nuclear medicine imaging technique that uses special imaging cameras to produce pictures of cells in the body. CT stands for Computerized Tomography, an X-ray test that generates a detailed view of the anatomy and tissues in the body. PET/CT can depict both technologies using a single machine. This single diagnostic examination is used to detect and determine the stage of cancer, whether cancerous cells have spread, and evaluate the effectiveness of cancer treatments.
Benefits of this new diagnostic tool include improvement of diagnosis, reduction of the need for invasive procedures like biopsy and surgery, and monitoring patients’ response to treatment to ensure the treatment is working. “The PET/CT is designed to give physicians a advanced diagnostic tool to find cancer and help treat their patients,” stated Dennis Simmons, Director of Radiology for Spalding Regional. “It’s another service we can provide in our facility so that people in our community do not have to travel out of the area to receive the advanced care.”
Area physicians can begin referring their patients for this test on Monday, June 28th. These examinations will be available on Mondays, between the hours of 8 a.m. and noon. Physicians should call 770.229.6931 to schedule patients.
Spalding Regional Medical Center, part of Tenet Healthcare, is a 160-bed acute care hospital located at 601 South Eighth Street in Griffin, Ga. The hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of Spalding, Butts, Clayton, Fayette, Henry, Lamar and Pike counties for more than 100 years. Spalding Regional provides a number of services, including specialties in orthopedics, women’s services, cardiac care, oncology services, physical, occupational and speech therapy and sleep medicine. Spalding Regional Medical Center is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.