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PET-CT Scanner Campaign

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PET-CT Scanner Campaign
At RUHX, we believe in providing more than just good care—we aim to deliver extra extraordinary care.

To keep our hospital at the forefront of medical innovation and future proof our service for the next decade; we need to invest in a new PET-CT Scanner and build two additional uptakes rooms in the Radiology Department.

A new RUH PET-CT scanner will mean less time waiting nervously for answers and reassurance, more time to get back to enjoying life with family and friends!  And, crucially, for our extraordinary hospital staff, the time to help even more patients.

Patient PET-CT Scanner

It’s the ability to get you better faster, it’s the gateway to getting you the best treatment plan and it’s the RUH’s way of getting you back living your life as soon as possible – you can help make this happen today. Whether you or your family are facing Cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, Cardiac, Rheumatic or Neurological Disease a PET-CT scan can help.

With the new machine, we will be able to carry out up to 5,000 scans per year and ensure we can continue to provide the latest life-saving technology to thousands of patients in Bath and beyond.

That’s why you’re invited to join and support our £4 million PET-CT Scanner Campaign. Supporting the PET-CT Scanner Campaign today means you’ll help provide the needed state-of-the-art technology to the RUH and ensure our friends and families across the community can share their stories too. Let’s work together to make a difference.

That’s why you’re invited to join and support our £4 million PET-CT Scanner Campaign.

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What is a PET-CT scanner?

The PET-CT scanner is a versatile, powerful tool in modern healthcare, providing critical insights across multiple treatment areas.

Its ability to combine functional and structural imaging makes it indispensable for early diagnosis, precise treatment planning, and monitoring a wide range of diseases.

Patient PET-CT Scanner
Cancer: Enhancing Early Detection and Survival Rates
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How it works:
PET-CT scans are highly effective in detecting metabolic activity within the body, which is crucial for identifying cancerous cells. Cancer cells often metabolise glucose more rapidly than normal cells, and PET scans use a radioactive glucose tracer (FDG) to highlight areas of abnormal activity. CT provides detailed anatomical images to pinpoint the exact location of the tumor.

How it is used:
• Diagnosis: PET-CT scans detect tumours in their earliest stages by highlighting areas of abnormal metabolic activity.
• Staging: The scan helps determine the extent of cancer by showing whether it has spread to lymph nodes or other organs.
• Treatment planning: PET-CT helps doctors tailor radiation therapy, chemotherapy and surgery by accurately mapping the tumour’s size and location.
• Monitoring: Scans track how well a tumour responds to treatments like chemotherapy, allowing doctors to adjust plans as needed.

Dementia: Diagnosing Sooner, Preserving Quality of Life
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How it works:
PET-CT scans are essential in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia by measuring the brain’s glucose metabolism. In Alzheimer’s, parts of the brain show reduced metabolic activity, which PET can detect long before significant symptoms appear.

How it is used:
• Early diagnosis: PET-CT can identify Alzheimer’s disease at its earliest stages, even before memory loss becomes severe, by detecting regions of the brain with reduced metabolic activity.
• Differentiating types of dementia: The scan helps distinguish Alzheimer’s from other forms of dementia, such as vascular dementia, by showing specific patterns of brain deterioration.
• Monitoring progression: Doctors can use PET-CT scans to track how quickly the disease is progressing, which helps guide treatment and care planning.

Heart and Lung Disease: Preventing Catastrophic Events
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How it works:
PET-CT scans provide critical information about the blood flow to the heart and the health of heart muscles by showing how tissues are functioning. It can also distinguish between benign and malignant lung nodes and evaluate inflammatory
or infectious conditions.

How it is used:
• Diagnosing lung and heart disease: PET-CT detects blockages, clots and can differentiate between cancer, infection and inflammation.
• Assessing pneumonia: PET-CT can differentiate between different lung conditions and identify the extent of the infection.
• Planning treatment: PET-CT scans guide the targeted treatment plans that lead to better outcomes for patients.
• Monitoring treatment: The scan helps doctors monitor the effectiveness of treatment and adjust care plans as needed.

Rheumatology: Providing Relief Through Precision Diagnosis
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How it works:
In conditions like rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory diseases, PET-CT scans detect inflammation in joints and tissues. PET highlights areas of active inflammation or abnormal metabolic activity, while CT shows the structural damage in bones and joints.

How it is used:
• Diagnosing autoimmune diseases: PET-CT helps identify areas of inflammation in joints and tissues that other imaging methods may miss, allowing for an early and accurate diagnosis of diseases like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.
• Assessing disease activity: The scan can monitor the extent and severity of inflammation, helping doctors determine how active the disease is and how it is affecting the body.
• Treatment planning: PET-CT aids in personalising treatment plans, allowing doctors to target the most affected areas and reduce unnecessary treatments.
• Monitoring response: Scans help track how well the inflammation is responding to treatments like immunosuppressants or biologics, allowing for adjustments in therapy.

The benefits of the PET-CT scanner

By supporting this campaign, you will help us bring the latest generation of PET-CT technology to RUH, which offers several key benefits:

Patient PET-CT Scanner
Earlier Detection, Better Outcomes
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Early diagnosis is critical for conditions like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and cardiovascular disease. Timely intervention with advanced technology can stop
cancer in its tracks, preventing it from spreading to vital organs or lymph nodes. This crucial window can transform a terrifying diagnosis into a story of
survival and resilience, offering precious time and hope to patients and their loved ones.

The new PET-CT scanner will be three times more sensitive than our current model, meaning we can detect disease much earlier, often before symptoms arise. Early detection can mean the difference between a hopeful future and a devastating loss.

Sharper Images, Faster Scans
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The advanced technology in the new scanner uses Artificial Intelligence to provide sharper images in less time, allowing doctors to make more accurate diagnoses and reducing the anxiety patients experience while waiting for results. Faster scans
also mean we can treat more patients each year, alleviating the pressure on our services. It also means that for some patients, they can have two scans in one day using different types of tracer.

Lower Radiation Exposure
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The new scanner uses the latest imaging advancements, which enables some patients to reduce radiation doses without compromising image quality. This is especially important for patients who need frequent scans, such as those undergoing cancer treatment, children and young adults.

More Capacity, Shorter Wait Times
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With demand for PET-CT scans growing by 15% annually, our current scanner will struggle to keep up. The new PET-CT scanner coupled with two additional uptake rooms, will allow us to increase our scanning capacity by 30%, helping us serve
more patients each year and reduce waiting times for critical diagnostic scans.

Patient PET-CT Scanner
Increasing the number of uptake rooms

Our new PET-CT scanner will increase the number of patient scans from 10 a day up to 17. This means that we will need additional uptake rooms to meet this capacity.

Building uptake rooms is a complex and expensive process. Each room requires extensive radiation shielding—the walls will be lined with specialist and expensive lead bricks—to protect staff and other patients from exposure. Custom ventilation systems must also be installed to manage any radioactive gases safely. In addition, uptake rooms must meet strict nuclear medicine health and safety regulations, which require input from specialist contractors, engineers, and compliance experts throughout the design and construction process.

Contribute today and support our £4 million PET-CT Scanner Campaign.

You can help RUHX and the Clinical Imaging team make this improvement. We’re asking for your help in raising the £4 million needed to purchase a new PET-CT Scanner machine and build the 2 new lead-lined uptake rooms needed to empower its extra capacity. This machine will transform the care we provide, offering patients and families time together and quicker answers. This isn’t just medical equipment—it’s a lifeline.

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Sarah Cade, Head of Nuclear Medicine

“This new PET-CT scanner represents a significant leap forward in medical imaging technology, combining the best of Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography. This advanced technology will enable us to detect and diagnose conditions like cancer, dementia, and rheumatology diseases with unprecedented accuracy and at much earlier stages.

As a major diagnostic and treatment centre, the RUH has always strived to offer the best possible care to our patients and their loved ones. With your help, we can maintain our position at the forefront of medical innovation and continue to deliver the very best healthcare services to your community.”

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