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What is a Cerianna PET/CT scan?

Cerianna is a whole body new diagnostic tool that allows accurate ER characterization of metastatic lesions in a fast, non-invasive PET/CT scan. Cerianna is a radioactive diagnostic agent indicated for use with PET imaging for the detection of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive lesions as an adjunct to biopsy in patients with recurrent or metastatic breast cancer.

Clinical advantage of Cerianna PET/CT imaging:

  • New diagnostic tool for whole-body imaging with lesion level assessment of ER status
  • Non-invasive
  • Easy prep, NO fasting required
  • Quick exam, start to finish less than 2 hours
  • Results within 24 – 48 hours

If you are interested in getting a Cerianna PET/CT scan, please fill out the form, and one of our team members will contact you to set up an appointment.

Schedule Your Scan Today!

What is Breast Cancer?

Breast cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the breast. Cancer starts when cells begin to grow out of control. Breast cancer cells usually form a tumor that can often be seen on an x-ray or felt as a lump. Breast cancer occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get breast cancer, too.

It’s important to understand that most breast lumps are benign and not cancer (malignant). Non-cancerous breast tumors are abnormal growths, but they do not spread outside of the breast. They are not life threatening, but some types of benign breast lumps can increase a woman’s risk of getting breast cancer. Any breast lump or change needs to be checked by a health care professional to determine if it is benign or malignant (cancer) and if it might affect your future cancer risk.

Researchers have found several factors that increase your risk of breast cancer.

Some that you can not control include:

  • Race: breast cancer is slightly more likely to develop in white females, than African-American, Hispanic, and Asian females. However, African-American females are more likely to develop more aggressive, more advanced-stage breast cancer that is diagnosed at a young age.
  • Gender: while men do develop breast cancer, less than 1% of all new breast cancer cases happen in men.
  • Genetic: in some cases there may be an inherited or genetic factor that can help indicate breast cancer. If you have a family member who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, there is greater risk of developing this disease.
  • Age: according to the American Cancer Society, about 1 out of 8 invasive breast cancers develop in women younger than 45, while about 2 out of 3 invasive breast cancers are found in women 55 or older.

While you can’t control all things that increase your risk of breast cancer, there are somethings that you can adjust to help lower your risk. By improving your health through a healthy diet, proper exercise, and limiting your consumption of tobacco and alcohol, you can lower your risk of developing breast cancer. Before making any changes to your diet or starting any exercise program, consult your doctor.

The Most Common Symptoms of Breast Cancer Include:

  • swelling of all or part of the breast
  • skin irritation or dimpling
  • breast pain
  • nipple pain or the nipple turning inward
  • redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
  • a nipple discharge other than breast milk
  • a lump in the underarm area

Because these symptoms may overlap with those of other conditions, it is important to get the correct diagnosis to find the right treatment. To help determine the best option for you the American Cancer Society recommends breast screenings.

What To Expect

An integrated PET/CT scan is one of the most advanced imaging technologies for the detection and evaluation of cancer. A PET/CT scan provides images of the entire body and generates high-resolution images of abnormal activity and its location. Abnormal activity often takes place before physical changes are identifiable by other types of imaging such as MRI, CT, x-ray and ultrasound. The scan can detects primary and secondary disease earlier and more accurately than other imaging technologies. Before having a PET scan, your doctor may order a series of x-rays, MRIs or CTs. Our team will work with your doctor and insurance payer to determine which test is most appropriate based on your diagnosis and symptoms.

Pre-Scan Recommendation

The radioactive tracer is short-lived and will leave your body quickly; however, we encourage you to drink plenty of water following your scan.

Pre-Scan Procedure

Our PET/CT technologist will bring you from the waiting room to a small, private and comfortable room. You will receive an injection of a small amount of radioactive tracer through an IV in your arm. Then you relax and wait for approximately an hour while the radioactive tracer circulates in your body. The injection will not make you feel different or unusual and will not prevent you from resuming your normal daily activities once your scan is completed. This injection is safe and has no known side effects or allergic reactions.

Scan Setup Procedure

After about one hour, our technologist will position you on the scanner. Most PET/CT scans take about 25-40 minutes. Our PET/CT scanner is a donut shape and is open on both ends and offers a much more open feeling than an MRI.

Scanning Process

During the scan, you will be exposed to a minimal amount of radiation; however, we believe the benefits of the information provided by the scan outweigh the small potential risk. Please let us know if you have any concerns about this exposure.

Scan Result Waiting Time

Typically, your doctor will receive scan results in 24-48 hours.

PET/CT Imaging with lower cost and faster results

Speak with a team member today.