From the June 2022 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

New technique could reduce cost, improve access to PET scans
In April, U.S. researchers announced they were testing a new technology that may be a suitable and more affordable alternative to PET scanners, and could create greater diagnostic imaging access in rural areas and developing countries.

Their approach involves using specialized cameras that can detect Cerenkov light, a faint glow emitted by radioactive tracers that PET scans require to detect increased glucose metabolism, a hallmark of cancer cells that helps show the location of a tumor. At a fraction of the cost, the technique could allow for the use of these radioactive tracers without the scanner.
The trial is the largest to date involving Cerenkov light, which is a reaction caused by charged electrons or positrons traveling faster than light through the same medium. It is described as a type of visual sonic boom and has only been recently considered for use in biomedical engineering, according to Dr. Jan Grimm, a radiologist and molecular imaging specialist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK).

“It wouldn’t replace PET because it cannot provide the same level of detail, precise measurement or depth penetration. But having a cheaper and faster imaging approach to select patients that should undergo a PET scan or as a first-line test could provide a huge benefit to many developing areas,” he said in a statement.

At about $1.5 million, PET machines are often too expensive for practices in rural and developing countries, which may not have the necessary infrastructure needed to house them.

June 2022 Magazine

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