Kalamazoo, MI October 6 2003 Southwest Michigan cancer patients will now spend less time on the scanning table and physicians will receive faster results now that the areas first positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scanner is operational at the West Michigan Cancer Center in Kalamazoo. In addition, this scanner is a mobile unit, so cancer patients across Southwest Michigan will now have more opportunities to access the most advanced technology for finding and treating cancer and other diseases.
The unit is housed at West Michigan Cancer Center but will travel to outlying Southwest Michigan communities on a regular basis. This way, those who may otherwise not have access to this cancer fighting tool will be provided the same innovative care they would receive in Kalamazoo.
“West Michigan Cancer Center is thrilled to bring the first mobile PET/CT to Southwest Michigan,” says Terry McKay, President and CEO. “PET/CT is faster and more accurate than any other diagnostic tool, so we can now diagnose and localize cancer and other diseases faster than every before.”
The scanner, which is a GE Discovery ST model, is designed to help physicians diagnose and localize cancer faster than ever before. PET/CT imaging technology combines today’s most sophisticated PET and CT systems, producing images that provide anatomic and metabolic information that result from a single exam in a single system.
The traditional tests for cancer diagnosis and staging have been CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, and the relatively new PET procedure. All have been found useful in detecting cancer spread, but still fail to detect it consistently.
PET/CT is faster and more accurate than other diagnostic tools. PET/CT combines the best attributes of the two best diagnostic tools. PET technology provides information about the body’s metabolism and changes in cellular function, while CT technology provides anatomic information about where a lesion is located. By combining them, PET/CT gives us images that provide anatomic and metabolic information that result from a single exam in a single system. We can now diagnose and localize cancer faster than ever before.
West Michigan Cancer Center’s PET/CT capabilities are directed by Dr. Paul D. Shreve. Board certified in both nuclear medicine and radiology, Dr. Shreve is a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School, and he completed his postdoctoral training in Nuclear Medicine and his residency in Diagnostic Radiology at the University of Michigan Hospitals in Ann Arbor.
ABOUT WMCC
Founded in 1994 as collaboration between Borgess Health Alliance and Bronson Methodist Hospital, West Michigan Cancer Center offers comprehensive, multidisciplinary, integrative cancer treatment to Southwest Michigan residents in a four-floor, 55,000 square feet facility located at 200 North Park Street in downtown Kalamazoo. In its nearly ten-year history, West Michigan Cancer Center has averaged nearly 60,000 patient visits a year.
Service offerings include radiation therapy, medical and neurological oncology, gynecologic oncology, laboratory services, radiology, mobile PET/CT, pharmaceutical services, social and psychological services, nutrition, financial and spiritual counseling, homecare and transportation services, hospice, a resource center and several support groups. The center is also home to the Breast Cancer Clinic at WMCC, a multidisciplinary treatment approach for patients with a new diagnosis of breast cancer.
Staff includes medical oncology physicians, radiation oncology physicians, gynecologic oncology physician, pharmacists, physicists, radiation therapists, oncology certified nurses and support staff. A CEO, medical director, and a board of trustees of community and medical leaders make up the leadership team.
West Michigan Cancer Center is a member facility of the National Cancer Institute and one of only a few providers in the state to offer radiation therapy and chemotherapy on site.
In honor of its upcoming tenth year of service, the center plans a yearlong celebration in 2004.

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