This year, Southcoast Hospitals Group will begin using a new body scanner that can detect tumors that are just the width of a dime. The PET/CT will bring much-needed technology to the South Coast region, further advancing diagnostic and treatment capabilities for cancer, heart disease, and brain disorders.

The PET/CT scanner is a sophisticated piece of equipment that can pick up tumors as small as 1 millimeter in width. The machine shows exactly where the tumor lies in the body and also gives doctors an idea of how active the tumor is. “The primary role of PET/CT is for cancer detection and monitoring and to show how well therapy is working,” said John Lentini, MD, Chairman of Radiology at Charlton Memorial Hospital. The scanner combines positron emission tomography (PET) with computed tomography imaging (CT) into a mobile scanner that will travel between Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.

The decision to acquire the PET/CT was brought about by research done by Southcoast revealing that the high incidence of cancer and heart disease in the region was causing patients to have to travel far from home for the scan. Ellen Banach, Vice President of Strategic Services, said the demand for the service is expected to increase as more local physicians become comfortable with the technology.

Southcoast will be the only provider of PET imaging services in the Greater New Bedford and Greater Wareham regions. “With the added benefit of PET/CT scanning, we will have complete advanced imaging capabilities for Southcoast patients,” said Nicholas Spencer, MD, Chairman of Radiology Imaging Services at St. Luke’s Hospital.

The South Coast region ranks 10.8 percent higher than the state average and 21.8 percent higher than the national average for overall cancers. The Wareham community served by Tobey Hospital is 30.3 percent higher than the state average and 50.6 percent higher than the national average. “We are able to identify risk factors, such as obesity, sedentary lifestyles, aging population, diabetes, dietary habits and smoking as possible causes,” said Banach. “We have been able to build greater awareness through our community benefits and screening programs, and this increased diagnostic capability will certainly help.”