What is PET/CT?
The use of the positron emission tomography (PET) and computerized tomography (CT) help physicians have a clear understanding about where the cancer is taking place in the body before starting treatment. The PET scan images the biology on a molecular level, and the CT scan provides detailed pictures of the body’s anatomy. The PET/CT scan is able to create a single scan from the strength of two separate imaging machines.
How will a PET/CT scan help with diagnosing cancer?
The information from a PET/CT scan can provide the physician with information about the location of the cancer, size of the tumor, determine whether there are benign or malignant growths, determine if the cancer has spread, plan the treatment strategy, monitor the success of the treatments, and detect any recurrent tumors.
How long does the PET/CT scan take?
The whole process takes approximately two hours. The patient will first be injected with isotope, wait an hour to reduce brain activity, and than the scan will be performed.
What is radiation therapy?
Radiation therapy kills and shrinks cancer cells with the use of high-energy radiation.
How does radiation therapy kill the cancer cells?
The way that radiation therapy kills cancer cells is by damaging the cell’s DNA. The purpose of radiation therapy is to either directly damage the DNA or create charged particles within the cells that will damage the DNA.
How do patients receive radiation therapy?
The type of radiation therapy we conduct comes from a machine much like an X-ray machine.
Is radiation treatment painful?
No, getting radiation treatment does not cause any pain.
Will I be getting radiation treatment on my whole body?
The only parts of the body that is expose to radiation is the area affected by the tumor and areas that are at risk for re-growth.
Will this treatment cause me to be radioactive?
No
How long is each treatment?
Each session takes about 15 minutes.
What is the side affects for radiation therapy?
Most patients do not experience any side affects. However, some patients will have side affects in the area they were treated. These side affects can modest fatigue and skin redness in the treatment area.
How long will I need the treatment for?
It varies from patient to patient and can take anywhere from 2-8 weeks.
How often will I need to come in for the treatments?
Radiation treatments are Monday to Friday, five days a week,
What type of insurance do we take?
We are providers for Anthem Blue Cross, Health Net, Physicians Health Way, Medi-Cal, and Medicare. Please call for more information.
Call (626) 571-6100 for more information.