Pottstown Memorial Medical Center recently debuted a new PET/CT scanning unit located in the hospital. Now, cancer patients will have shorter wait times and faster results when their doctor orders a scan.

Prior to installing the new system, PMRCC had a mobile service on-site just one or two days a week. Now patients can schedule appointments Monday through Friday.

“This location, right in the Radiology Department, is much more convenient for patients," says Peggy Neese, RN, OCN, director of Pottstown Memorial Regional Cancer Center. “Patients don't have to wait to schedule an appointment or travel to another location to get scans.”

The new unit combines Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with Computerized Tomography (CT) to produce high-quality digital images in one simple procedure.

These scans are not used for screening, but rather to help a physician diagnose and determine the extent of a cancer. The scans also let physicians monitor the body's response to treatment and see whether cancer cells are spreading or recurring.

“This fusion imaging allows an oncologist to see active cancer sites not visible on other conventional imaging studies,” says Ms. Neese. “Having PET/CT here greatly decreases the anxiety of a patient waiting for information on a new or recurrent cancer diagnosis.”