Diagnostic tool now covered by Medicare.(positron emission tomography)(breast cancer diagnosis)

2002 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Methodist Hospital of Southern California announces the Centers for Medicare & Medicade Services' (CMS) expansion of positron emission tomography (PET) coverage to include breast cancer, giving patients and their physicians increased access to an improved look at breast cancer care.

According to the American Cancer Society, 2 million women have breast cancer right now; however, nearly half of them are unaware of it. In 2002, almost 200,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed and nearly 45,000 women will die from the disease. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women between 40 and 55 years old, yet when detected in its early stages and treatment is begun promptly, more than 90% of breast cancer patients can survive.

PET imaging is a remarkable medical diagnostic technology that can search the body for cancer, Alzheimer's, and other neurological diseases and heart disease. Unlike computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans that produce pictures of anatomy, PET shows the biology of the body at the molecular level. PET imaging can indicate whether a tumor is benign or malignant, eliminating the need for an invasive biopsy. And because PET scans the entire body in a single examination, ...