LEFT: PET/CT Scanner technology is a powerful tool in
cancer diagnosis and treatment, and having it available
locally not only provides convenience for patients, but
opens up this higher level of care to those who could not
access it before. On hand to showcase this exciting new
addition to TAMC’s imaging department are, from left:
Randy Bacon, director of ancillary services; Sam Yu, lead
nuclear medicine technician; and Nick Boucher, nuclear
medicine technician.
of treatment,” said Bacon. “We made a dramatic leap
forward one year ago with the addition of new radiation
therapy capabilities, but we were still lacking in the areas
of cancer diagnosis and staging. The standard for those
aspects of cancer care is a PET/CT scan. We can now
offer that critical service to cancer patients in Aroostook
County.”
These image show how powerful the PET/CT technology
is. A CT image (left) and a PET image (center), are merged
together for the combined PET/CT image (right). A PET/
CT scan allows providers to view metabolic activity and
pinpoint where abnormal lesions are located so they can
target the disease.
“I think it is really important that the community know
that this resource is available to patients across the County, not just for
“As the home of
TAMC patients,” said Dr. Alan Mautz,
lead radiologist from TAMC’s Imaging Aroostook Cancer
Services Department. “For patients,
Care—offering
particularly those who may be facing
a shortened life due to their condition, northern Maine’s
it means not having to waste hours of
most comprehensive
their precious time traveling down the
road. For Aroostook oncology provid- cancer care, it is only
ers, regardless of what hospital they
fitting that TAMC
are affiliated with, a local connection
means ease of communications. They
bring this new level of
can just pick up the phone and speak
care to The County.”
to me about a patient’s results more
easily. I couldn’t be more proud to be
~Glenda Dwyer
a part of the team that will be able to
offer this at TAMC.”
When it is not being used for PET
scans, TAMC will gain efficiencies and
save operational expenses with the
equipment’s multi-functional use. It
can be used for stand-alone CT scans
as well as for the planning of radiation therapy treatments, replacing the
backup CT scanner that TAMC currently has. Use of this new equipment,
which is more efficient to operate than
the one it is replacing, will mean operational savings for TAMC in areas such
as monthly maintenance.
TAMC has been working toward the goal of bringing
this technology to Aroostook County for over two years.
Success in achieving this significant milestone can in
part be attributed to TAMC’s affiliation in the Eastern
Maine Healthcare System, according to Glenda Dwyer,
interim president. She credits both EMHS and Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor for providing the
support that helped make this technology possible for
Aroostook County.
Nick Boucher, a nuclear medicine technician at TAMC,
reviews test images on screen during a training session to
prepare him for the first patient day on June 14 with TAMC’s
new PET/CT scanner.
“As the home of Aroostook Cancer Care—offering
northern Maine’s most comprehensive cancer care, it
is only fitting that TAMC bring this new level of care
to The County,” said Dwyer. “It is another great step
forward in cancer care, on the heels of the advances with
our new state-of-the-art linear accelerator last fall.”
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