First Coast Oncology uses PEM scanner and AccuBoost image guided procedure for breast cancer treatment

Jan 20 2010

First Coast Oncology in Jacksonville, Florida has significantly enhanced its ability to treat breast cancer with the addition of a Naviscan PEM (Positron Emission Mammography) scanner.  The facility will be among the first in the nation to use both a PEM scanner and the AccuBoost image guided breast irradiation procedure to optimize their therapy treatment.

AccuBoost is a technique for whole breast irradiation that is designed to target and deliver a boost dose accurately and reliably to the lumpectomy cavity margin.  With PEM's three-dimensional metabolic perspective, physicians will be able to better visualize the region of interest prior to deploying the AccuBoost system, which lowers dose to healthy tissue as radiation is focused on the intended target sparing exposure to the heart, lungs and the uninvolved breast.

First Coast Oncology has three locations and focuses on providing the latest cancer treatment options available. "For more than 10 years, First Coast Oncology has provided the highest level of care to the women in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia who have been diagnosed with breast cancer," said Scot Ackerman, M.D., Medical Director of First Coast Oncology. "The acquisition of the Naviscan PEM scanner demonstrates First Coast Oncology's commitment to securing the latest technology to detect and treat breast cancer as well as being able to assess response to therapy. I expect that PEM will prove indispensable in the effective management of breast cancer for both our patients and referring physicians."

The Naviscan PEM scanner uses PET (Positron Emission Tomography) technology to produce high-resolution tomographic images at 2 millimeter resolution, allowing physicians to visualize breast tumors about the size of a grain of rice. The scanner is the size of a mammography unit and consists of two high-resolution detector heads which are placed in close proximity to the breast. Compared to the higher-force compression necessary for mammography, the Naviscan PEM scanner uses gentle breast immobilization.