Scanning centre boost for patients in region

The suite in the cancer centre at St James's Hospital in Leeds houses the city's new PET-CT centre – the largest of its kind in the North.

Two scanners combining Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography have been installed. One will give cutting-edge scans to cancer patients and the other will be used to support world-class research by experts at the hospital.

The technique has only been available in Yorkshire for the past five years. Benefits include earlier diagnosis, better evaluation of responses to treatment and the potential to eliminate unnecessary surgery.

Consultant radiologist and nuclear medicine physician Andrew Scarsbrook, who is clinical and research lead for PET-CT in Leeds, said patients not only in Yorkshire but across the country and beyond would gain following the development.

"The PET-CT centre is a vital step in taking cancer care in Yorkshire to the highest level," he said. "PET-CT differs from other imaging techniques because it gives clinicians a unique combination of information when investigating cancer. The technique allows us to accurately pinpoint the anatomical location of physiologically active cancer cells and greatly improves diagnostic accuracy."

Experts hope the technique could be used for more effective planning prior to radiotherapy to ensure the patient's entire tumour is treated while avoiding damage to surrounding normal tissue, as well as assessing more accurately whether drug treatments are working.

It could also be used for heart patients or those with nervous system disorders with the development of new radioactive tracers to probe internal biochemical processes.