True to its commitment to provide the best treatment and care in the country, Cardinal Santos Medical Center (CSMC) once again raised the standards of cancer care when it announced recently the newest and most advance technology that will help clinicians assess the biological changes in patients while treating them.
In the Philippines, according to the World Health Organization, at least 56,000 succumbed to cancer, and among the top causes of mortality in the country are cancer of the breast, lungs, colon, liver and the cervix.
The WHO also emphasized that cancer was responsible for nearly 8.8 million deaths in 2015, a number that could reach to17 million by 2030. And it seem this figure will not stop from ballooning as medical experts discover new diseases while worst complications develop during the course of treatment.
“The increasing number of new cancer cases worldwide is alarming and becoming more pressing for institutions like CSMC to pursue strategic interventions.” Dr. Christine Gruenberg of CSMC said.
And to guarantee that CSMC is true to its mission to provide the best healthcare to its patients, the prime hospital’s latest effort to meet the Philippines’ needs on cancer care is the installation of the GE Discovery TM PET/CT 710, which features high sensitivity, advanced protocol flexibility, and high-definition image reconstruction to help doctors recommend the best possible tailor regimen for patients, while minimizing radiation.
A PET-CT scan is an invaluable diagnostic tool in cancer care that simultaneously performs two individual tests to detect cancer and determine its stage. The highly sensitive PET scan detects the metabolic signal of actively growing cancer cells – a key element in the diagnostic process; while the CT scan creates a detailed image of abnormal cancerous tissues inside the body, including their location and size.
Gruenberg added that with this latest technology, it would help doctors deliver excellent quantitative performance and sharp image quality at low dose, thus, helping them understand better the disease and what is happening with the patient’s body.
“The exceptional clarity of the image that this latest PET/CT Scan machine, provides diagnostic confidence and will enable clinicians to assess treatment response accurately,” she noted.
To identify any abnormalities, a radiopharmaceutical marker called Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is injected into the patient. The PET scanner picks up the signal produced by the marker, creating images of the FDG distribution in the body. Combines, a PET- CT scan provides doctors with comprehensive information on the disease and allows them to plan treatment effectively.
“When healthcare providers recommend treatment options to cancer patients, they rely heavily on data generated by equipment and other tools. We can’t compromise quality and efficient monitoring because lives are at stake,” said CSMC Medical Director Dr. Zenaida Javier-Uy.
“The addition of a PET/CT in CSMC’s range of equipment and services will help us in our commitment to provide improved cancer care and better clinical outcomes for our patients,” Javier-Uy added.
Meanwhile, Nenuca Almira, President and Chief Executive Officer of CSMC also stressed that the medical center is a caring institution and the people behind the company wants to reach out to everyone who needs unrivaled medical care, and with this in mind, it has been exploring different opportunities and possibilities to fulfill its role in this industry.
With the combination of the most advanced technology and the finest doctors and specialist in the country, CSMC is undeniably the leader in the Medical industry.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza