• Diagnose and Stage: by determining the exact location of a tumor, the extent or stage of the disease and whether the
  cancer has spread in the body.
• Plan Treatment: by selecting the most effective therapy based on the unique molecular properties of the disease and of the patient's genetic makeup.
• Evaluate the Effectiveness of Treatment: by determining the patient's response to specific drugs and ongoing therapy.
  Based on changes in cellular activity observed on PET-CT images, treatment plans can be quickly altered.
• Manage Ongoing Care: by detecting the recurrence of cancer.

• PET is a powerful tool for diagnosing and determining the stage of many types of cancer, including lung, head and neck, colorectal, esophageal, lymphoma, melanoma, breast, thyroid, cervical, pancreatic and brain cancers. The value of PET for many other cancers is currently being investigated through the National Oncologic PET Registry.
• By detecting whether lesions are benign or malignant, PET scans may eliminate the need for surgical biopsy or identify the optimal biopsy location.
• PET scans help physicians choose the most appropriate treatment plan and assess whether chemotherapy or other treatments are working as intended.
• PET scans are currently the most effective means of detecting a recurrence of cancer.

• PET scans are able to detect the early onset of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.
• PET is frequently used to identify areas of the brain causing epileptic seizures as part of an evaluation of surgery as a treatment option.

• By differentiating normal and scarred heart muscle and pinpointing areas of decreased blood flow, PET scans are able to assist physicians in assessing the extent of coronary artery disease.
• Information provided by PET scans helps physicians and patients evaluate treatment options, such as angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery.

• Using PET as a screening tool to provide a non-invasive and highly accurate way to assess at-risk populations.
• The development of imaging biomarkers to identify individuals at risk for or in the early stages of disease, such as breast cancer, Alzheimer's and heart disease.
• Using PET imaging to predict a patient's response to therapy.
• The development of personalized medicine, in which medical treatment is based on a patient's unique genetic profile.
• Using PET to distinguish benign from malignant tumors and low-from high-grade sarcoma.
• The development of neuroimaging probes, such FDDNP and PiB that bind to beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease.

(Referenced from SNM Molecular Imaging Center of Excellence's fact sheet for Physicians www.snm.org/mi)