
SOUND OFF: No, a PET/CT scanner is not an option
SINCE THE NEW KAMLOOPS CANCER CENTRE was announced, doctors, healthcare workers, First Nations, Thompson Regional Hospital District (TRHD) Directors, municipalities, and local MLAs have been calling on the provincial government to allocate space for a future Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner — or more specifically, a PET/CT scanner. Yes, you read that correctly: not an actual PET/CT scanner, but just the space to house one in the future.
So, what is a PET/CT scan, you might wonder? This specialized imaging test helps diagnose certain cancers, determines how far the cancer has spread (staging), checks if cancer treatment is working, and can also detect if cancer has recurred or spread to other parts of the body. It’s also used to help diagnose some non-cancerous conditions.
Currently, patients who live within TRHD communities must travel to Kelowna for radiation treatments, often driving over four hours each way to receive care. While having radiation treatment available in Kamloops will undoubtedly be a relief to local residents, there are more people in need of a PET/CT scan who must make the same long trek to Kelowna.
This week, BC Cancer made a lot of great announcements, including that Nanaimo, Burnaby, Surrey (2) are all getting PET/CT scanners. But that wasn’t all; UBC is having its PET/CT scanner replaced to with a new PET/CT that will be the fastest in Canada. Kamloops? Nothing.