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Total Body Cancer Examination

Information on Total Body Cancer Examination

As the incidence rates of cancer have increased over the past several years, Kameda Medical Center decided to invest in technology to better detect cancers in early stages when treatments are more successful. The result of this endeavor has been the creation of the "Total Body Cancer" examination course that utilizes PET-CT scanning and other diagnostic testing procedures.

About PET-CT

PET-CT is an advanced imaging technology used for determining cancers in the body. Because it utilizes both PET and CT scans concurrently, PET-CT technology is able to find small cancers in the body that were undetected with previous technology.

For patients interested in preventative screenings for cancer, we recommend alternating the Annual Ningen Dock with the Total Body Cancer Examination.

If you would like to make an appointment, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Name of Course Fee Examination items
PET-CT JPY 157,500 (inc.tax) PET-CT
(Full Attending Service in English
English report
Medical image data (DVD-R))

Comparison of examinations

Strengths Limitations
PET-CT
  • can find and catch about 1cm cancer early.
  • can pinpoint the exact position of the focal site.
  • can evaluate the extent of the cancer, and evaluate whether it is benign or malignant.
  • can examine the entire body in a single PET-CT.
  • Pain is a mild, one time injection of a drug.
  • PET-CT may not find all cancers, especially if they are smaller than 1cm in size.
  • Depending on the size and position of the patient, it may be difficult to determine whether there is cancer present, or only inflammations. Further diagnostic tests may be required in these cases.
  • A person who has high blood sugar level may not obtain the correct laboratory results. Please make your physician aware of this condition.
Gastroscopy
  • Evaluate small cancers or inflammatory polyps in the esophagus, belly, and duodenum.
  • Allows for the sampling of tissue from the area. (biopsy)
  • There is often slight pain associated when given an endoscopic procedure. Although mild sedation can be used, often this injection results in drowsiness.
Colonoscopy
  • Evaluates small cancers, polyps, as well as the physical condition of the diverticulum of the colon.
  • Allows for the sampling of tissue from the area. (biopsy)
  • There is often slight pain associated when given an endoscopic procedure. Although mild sedation can be used, often this injection results in drowsiness.
  • This procedure requires the patient to drink 2 liters of a special liquid that purges the system.

Example

Case 1: Female(56 y.o.)

Over the past several years,no polypus or cancers have been found by the complete medical checkup(Ningen-Dock).
Also,there have been no cancer patients in my family. I don't smoke cigarettes.
I would not like to have the colonoscopy.

◆We recomment you to alternate Ningen Dock and Total Body Cancer Examination.

We recommend you to alternate Ningen Dock and Total Body Cancer Examination.

  1. 1) .A person who is not comfortable with having a colonoscopy or a gastroscopy, and would like to avoid it if is not necessary.
  2. 2) .A person who had that Ningen Dock over the past several years and no polyps or cancers have been found. This is particularly important if there is a history of cancer in the family.
  3. 3) .A person who would like a total body cancer screening regardless of family history.
  4. 4) .A person who has past cancer treatments.

Is it really OK not to have the colonoscopy every year?

According to recent reports, data has shown that it is not necessary for a person to undergo a colonoscopy every year if they do not have a history of polyps of tumors being found.
Because of the uncomfortable nature of the colonoscopy, doctors at Kameda believe that it is okay for patients to undergo a colonoscopy every two years if previous Ningen Dock results have been normal.
Please remember, however, that the early detection of cancer is paramount to the successfulness of treatments. As such, we recommend that patients always undergo a gastroscopy every year.

Information on PET-CT

What is PET-CT?

PET-CT is a combined medical imaging modality of PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and CT (Computed Tomography). PET with FDG (Fluorodeoxiglucose) is a highly effective imaging technique suitable for body cancer examination because it is capable of identifying high glucose consumption lesions. Simultaneously, CT represents anatomical details of the human body. Thus, the combination of these two modalities in one machine provides both functional imaging and anatomy. The three-dimensional data acquisition and fusion image of PET and CT is an epoch in diagnostic imaging modality.

Plain CT scan with contiguous 3.7mm slice thickness from head to upper portion of lower limb is useful in ruling out small lung cancers or chronic inflammatory changes, and is also useful in the diagnosis of atherosclerotic change of great vessels, degenerative change of the spine using sagittal reconstruction of three dimensional data set of CT scan.

There are several high glucose consumption areas in the normal human body; normal brain, heart, normal salivary gland, lymphatic organs in the neck, mamma in young woman, stomach, kidney, bladder, and stools in bowels. Inflammation, post-operative change, and radiation effects also can show abnormal radioisotope accumulation. Still, however, some of the cancers with low glucose consumption or other small cancers may be missed by PET-CT. According to academic reports, about 80% of cancer larger than 1cm in diameter can be detected by PET-CT.

In order to interpret these complicated images, specially-trained radiologists familiar with nuclear medicine and diagnostic radiology are required. At Kameda Medical Center, the PET-CT Center opened in June 2006, and since then licensed medical doctors have performed over 9,000 PET-CT examinations.

Note for people who need to have PET-CT.

a) There are some preconditions that must be met prior to undergoing a PET-CT.

  1. 1 .Diet restriction
  • Do not have any food for 4 hours before your appointment.
  • Do not eat things that include sugar such as candies & gums.
  • Liquids such as mineral water and tea (not including sugar) are acceptable.
  • Do not drink alcohol the night prior to or on the day of your appointment.
  1. 2 .Limitation of mobility
  • Please confine exercise and muscle use to a minimum.
  • Please refrain from talking a lot, lifting heavy objects, and walking for a long time on your appointment day.

b) Note to women

  • Please let us know if you think you may be pregnant.
  • Please let us know if you are breast-feeding.

If you would like to make an appointment, please do not hesitate to contact us.