Good News for Orissa: HCG Panda Curie Cancer Hospital makes latest PET CT Scanner available

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

I survived cancer, not only because of Prof. Dr. N.P.Gupta of AIIMS, New Delhi, but also because of Dr. Tusar Mohapatra of Nuclear Medicine department who had conducted PET CT Scan on me to assist Prof. Gupta to free me from malignancy a decade ago.

I am thrilled to note that this unique advanced system is now available with its latest generation equipment in Orissa as HCG Panda Curie Cancer Hospital has installed it with LSO Crystal Technology, that would save many of our homeland from the disadvantage of rushing to New Delhi or to Mumbai or that type of distant destinations.

When correct and appropriate treatment and favourable outcome depends upon accurate, precise and early diagnosis of any disease including cancer, PET CT Scan is an ultramodern machine with advanced technology for very early diagnosis of disease. It plays a very important role for diagnosis. In comparison to already available imaging procedures in the medical science, i.e.; Ultra Sound, CT Scan and MRI, the PET scan is highly sensitive in detection of pathological tissues in the body like cancer, infections and inflammations.

Chairman-cum- CEO of HCG Group of Hospitals Dr. B.S. Ajai Kumar has declared that they have a planning to provide all such ultra modern facilities in diagnosis and treatment in this centre for the Cancer patients of Orissa.
Prof. Dr. Krupasindhu Panda, the Medical Director of HCG Panda Curie Cancer Hospital, maintains that 50 percent of all cancer patients get cured because of early detection and prompt medical intervention. The new facility of PET CT Scan now easily available to people of Orissa in their own state would immensely enhance the percentage of cure. Happily, Dr. Tusar Mohapatra, about whom I have mentioned above, would be available for the PET CT seekers. The Hospital is also having the services of Radiation Oncology Consultant Dr. Ranjit Kar.

PET CT ScannerPET CT Scanner not only detects the cancer tissues very early in its course, and thus aids in diagnosis, but also it correctly depicts the spread of cancer cells into other parts of the body. That helps appropriate treatment decision whereby unnecessary complicated surgical treatment can be avoided.

In comparison with expensive Chemotherapy, PET scan accurately predicts the treatment response very early in course, so that the decision to continue or discontinue and switching over to second line chemotherapy may be taken. It helps the Radiation Oncologist in giving appropriate and accurate amount of radiation in the cancer tissue. By detecting the recurrence of cancer at very early stage, PET scan helps in instituting early treatment. from cancer, PET Scan plays a very important and valuable role in case of cardiology patients whilst taking decision to go for medical management on stenting procedure or By-Pass surgery.

Patients suffering from memory loss, seizure & brain tumours are also successfully evaluated and thus correct treatment can be instituted.

Patients suffering from prolonged fever that remain undiagnosed for months after repeated and expensive medical tests are also greatly benefited by PET Scan procedure in evaluating fever.

The greatest advantage of PET scan is that the entire body can be scanned within 10 to 15 minutes time. No specific preparation is required before the scanning procedure except a small duration fasting. It doesn’t have any significant side effect.

According to Prof. Panda, the LSO Crystal technology in PET CT Scanner with decay period of 4 nano seconds gives an edge over all other diagnostic procedures facilities available.

DSC01777The picture shows that the new facility was inaugurated by Health Minister Mr. Atanu Sabyasachai on 7th this month, who, while doing so, was getting apprised of on necessity of the machine for the people. Will he learn from Dr. Panda and lead his department to procure and install this essential system in a well connected major hospital like that of the SCB Medical College by equipping the institute with the necessary department of Nuclear Medicine? There are many doctors of Orissa with their super-specialty training in Nuclear medicine, who may be offered suitable postings in the medical college for best utilization of the facility if Sri Nayak so desires. Such a facility in a government medical College would help the people to have PET CT Scan at a marginal price. But has this Government the heart for the people?

However, with the facility offered by the HCG Panda Curie Cancer Hospital, patients of Orissa have no more to travel to distance places like Hyderabad, Mumbai or Delhi to avail this novel imaging facility. And, cost-wise, it would be certainly less than what the outside institutes charge and travel and accommodation expenses call for.

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