Medical Intel

PET-CT scans provide detailed information on where cancer is located, whether it’s spreading and if treatments are working. Dr. Carlos Garcia explains how this test works, what to expect if you’re having one and how your doctor uses the results.   TRANSCRIPT Intro: MedStar Washington Hospital Center presents Medical Intel where our healthcare team shares health and wellness insights and gives you the inside story on advances in medicine. Host: Thanks for joining us today. We’re talking to Dr. Carlos Garcia, Medical Director of Nuclear Medicine at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Today, we’re talking about the benefits of PET CT scanner. Dr. Garcia, what is a PET CT scanner and when is it used? Dr. Garcia: So, a PET CT scanner is kind of a gold standard for cancer imaging. Just like in the past it was called a CAT scan, now they’re called CT scans, are for anatomic imaging of multiple causes, whether they’re cancer or not. PET CT is 99.9 percent dedicated to cancer imaging. The difference between a PET scan