GE Healthcare's new "Fusion" PET/CT scanner extends GE's leadership in imaging technology

The Discovery STE is a fusion of the high-speed, high-resolution capabilities of GE's Computed Tomography (CT) scanner and the metabolic and physiologic capabilities of its industry leading Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner.

"In many cases, cancer and other diseases can be successfully treated if a physician can detect and treat it early," said Hadi Moufarrej, General Manager of GE Healthcare's Global Molecular Imaging Business. "A PET/CT image allows physicians to see cancer earlier, localize and personalize treatment, and carefully monitor that treatment. It's the tool of choice for oncology applications today and we're excited to see how it can transform other clinical specialties."

Medical research recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that integrated PET/CT exams provide information beyond that obtained with visually correlated PET and CT in 41 per cent of patient cases due to its pinpoint accuracy in locating disease.

"It is important that all patients understand the difference a PET/CT scan can make in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer as time is critical for cancer patients as cells multiply and spread," said Dr. Jacqueline Brunetti, Director of Radiology, Holy Name Hospital, Morristown, New Jersey. "With continuing developments in molecular-targeted cancer therapies, molecular imaging systems are the future of medical imaging."

"As data demonstrating the advantages of PET/CT over magnetic resonance and CT imaging in early disease detection continue to accumulate, it is reasonable to anticipate that PET/CT imaging systems could become the 'first line of defense' in optimization of treatment for cancer patients," said Brunetti.

Leveraging Oncology Imaging Expertise: Expanding into New Clinical Areas

While PET/CT is most commonly used for cancer diagnosis and treatment planning, its use is expanding into other areas, including cardiovascular and neurology imaging, which are becoming high demand clinical areas as the population ages and becomes more susceptible to age-related illness and disease.

For example, physicians have been making strides in earlier detection of neurological diseases using PET/CT technology.

Dr. Satoshi Minoshima, Vice Chair for Research and Interim Director of the Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, University of Washington, is the first to utilize the Discovery STE for neurological applications.

According to Dr. Minoshima, "Discovery STE delivers superb quality of brain images. This new system and software permit image processing and display options critical for many clinical neurological applications."

Fusion of Imaging Technologies: The "Future of Medical Imaging"

PET scans demonstrate the biological function of the body before anatomical changes take place, while CT scans provide information about the body's anatomy such as size, shape and location. By combining these two scanning technologies, PET/CT scans enable physicians to more accurately diagnose and identify cancer, heart disease and brain disorders.

According to Moufarrej, images derived from the Discovery STE can be compared to radar images showing weather patterns. "The PET image shows concentrations of cancer cells in a color spectrum just as weather radar shows varying concentrations of precipitation. The anatomical image generated by the CT scan acts as the 'map' showing physicians precisely where the cancer is located. The Discovery platform combines both of these images and like a television radar, pinpoints activity and location fused into one image," said Moufarrej.

GE's Vision to Enable Earlier Diagnosis Through Molecular Imaging

Driven by the desire to better understand the molecular make-up of disease, GE recently initiated deployment of PET/CT research units to premiere clinical partner sites around the world such as the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic, University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland and Johns Hopkins. These units are expected to generate data that will broaden PET/CT technology applications beyond cancer care.

"GE Healthcare's vision is to work to understand cancer and other diseases at the molecular level, enabling earlier diagnosis of disease," said Moufarrej.

GE the Industry Leader in PET/CT

At the heart of the Discovery STE is the revolutionary Discovery Dimension Console, fully integrated to optimize PET/CT workflow. The new Discovery Dimension Console provides a wider range of choices to meet patient's clinical needs, enabling physicians to simultaneously complete a static image and 4-D motion study in one acquisition; perform advanced image reconstruction techniques of 2-D and 3-D for excellent image quality on every patient exam; and tailor the CT X-ray dose to each patient, a capability that can reduce dose by up to 40 per cent.

GE first began its work combining images with the development of the GE Millennium VG Hawkeye in 1999 and then launched the first commercially available PET/CT, the Discovery LS, in 2001. GE has invested more than US$160 million in the research and development of hybrid imaging technology and holds 25 related patents.