Innovation and Patent Details
From 2001 through 2008, sales of the combined PET/CT scanner by all vendors exceeded 4,000 units. By 2006, the combined scanner had completely supplanted all sales of stand-alone PET systems and now accounts for the entire PET market.
The combined scan is better than either the individual scans or the combined results of scans run separately. By diagnosing cancer in earlier stages, more lives can be saved and the patient's quality of life can be drastically improved. Depending on the type of cancer, a PET/CT scan has a 95-98% detection accuracy rate, particularly if the cancer has metastasized.
The CT (computerized axial tomography) scan is an x-ray based scan that provides information on the location, size and shape of cancerous and other growths in the body. CT images detect anatomical changes, even smaller ones that a PET scan could miss. Anatomical changes are physical changes in the structure of an organ or other body part. However, CT does not provide information on whether the growth (change) is cancerous or not.
The PET (positron emission tomography) scan measures photons emitted from the body after injection of a radioactive glucose analog solution. Tumors consume the glucose solution and radioactive nuclei emit positrons as they decay, creating metabolic hot spots which are then displayed as an image by capturing the radiation emitted from the body. Tumors must be active for a PET scan to identify them. It is their growth that is the basis for discovery with this type of scan. However, once PET does detect a growth, it can often determine whether it is cancerous or benign, as well as establish staging of a cancerous tumor.
While PET alone is more helpful in diagnosing subtle metabolic changes in the body and staging cancer, its drawback is in less accurate localization information. CT, while adept at identifying more sizable growths, may not recognize smaller growths as tumors, but its advantage lies in pinpoint accuracy of the anatomical location of a growth.
In combination, the scans provide unparalleled diagnostic information that enables oncologists to detect cancer and other disorders in earlier stages and identify the specific region to be treated.
Innovation/Invention Name
The combined scanning technology is marketed as a PET/CT scanner. GE sells their imager under the brand name Discovery. Biograph and Biograph TruePoint are the products marketed by Siemens. The Philips product line is the Gemini. Additionally, there are a handful of other manufacturers, primarily in Japan, of the PET/CT scanner device.
Institution Where Developed
University of Geneva, Switzerland (conceived)
CTI PET Systems, Knoxville, TN (written plans developed, prototype developed, successful testing of prototype with phantoms conducted)
University of Pittsburgh (clinical trials with patients)
Name(s) of Inventor(s)/Innovator(s) - Title - Advanced Degrees Held
Dr. David Townsend, Ph. D
Dr. Ronald Nutt, Ph. D
Revenue Generated, If Applicable
Imaging device revenues are often reported together on financial statements, so it is difficult to pinpoint revenues solely for the PET/CT device market. However, annual U.S. sales for all imaging products are well into the billions and PET/CT holds the lion's share of that market.
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