Positron emission tomography

PET — Positron emission tomography

Today the most accurate method of early diagnostics of oncological diseases is positron emission tomography (PET), which is used in the Republic of Belarus and abroad as the main method of tumor diagnostics and its metastases and control over effectiveness of the treatment.

The main advantage of PET is the possibility to get information at the molecular level. PET doesn’t explore the structure, form of the organ according to the received pictures. It explores the work of organs and systems with a help of a color image, which shows the activity of chemical processes in the organism. As at the disease development of early stages there are some changes in the rate of reaction it becomes possible to diagnose the disease before structural and functional changes in the organ or tissue.

Advantages of PET:

• combination of several kinds of diagnostics in one research, high accuracy of the received data,
• full absence of side effects, pains or discomfort,
• possibility to make a diagnose at an early stage,
• possibility of simultaneous use of all organs,
• possibility to cancel unnecessary manipulations, ineffective treatment or operative intervention,
• almost full absence of harm to the body

How is the procedure performed?

PET is based on introduction of radioactive drug which is broken down into non-radioactive parts within an hour. You shouldn’t be afraid of it, because the dose of the received radiation exposure is comparable to computer tomography or X-ray examination, but the informativeness is much higher.

The drug is being prepared in a special cyclotron, which is being built taking every security precaution to protect the staff and the environment.

A PET scan catches non-visible rays produced by radioactive drug which comes into the tissues. These rays, being registered by the scanner, are shown at the computer where the information is processed, takes a graphical form (form of image). It gives a possibility of visual evaluation of those areas which are more likely capture radioactive drug, because one of the peculiarities of tumor cells is their high metabolic rate. That’s why radioactive glucose is used in diagnostics of oncological diseases, it is necessary for tumor cells for their active growth and nutrition.

Another advantage of PET is its possibility to detect the smallest tumors, which don’t exceed 1 sm in their size, and also full deactivation of the drug within several hours. Besides, such method of diagnostics helps to choose the most effective form of therapy, particularly, in cases of lymphatic system disorders, and also to determine the efficiency of the current treatment at its end.

PET is used to determine the cancer stage. It is possible to detect affected lymph node before its spreading.

A unique characteristic of positron emission tomography is its possibility to recognize metastases without additional puncture of tissues. High accuracy of diagnostic data (80-95%) makes it more effective in comparison with CT (50-68%). Besides, it helps to determine the cause of neoplasm for further treatment.

Costs for PET in Belarus

Belarus offers you to undergo positron emission tomography at the Republican Scientific and Practical Center of Oncology and Medical Radiology named after N.N.Aleksandrov (the medical center is not far away from Minsk, the capital of the Republic of Belarus) at reasonable prices:

We invite you to Belarus for diagnostics

Since October, 2015 the patients had got the opportunity to get an examination on positron emission CT scanner. PET in Belarus brings a lot of foreign citizens due to its accuracy in diagnostics of cancer. We have highly qualified professionals, who are eager to render any assistance in diagnostics and treatment of oncological diseases. Contact us by e-mail or feedback form and we will choose the optimal time of examination and organize a consultation for you.