Each cancer diagnosis and treatment journey is unique. Everything – from where the cancer is, to how it is progressing, to how your body is responding – is specific to you. That’s why precision matters. And it’s why PET-CT (Positron Emission Tomography – Computed Tomography) has become such a powerful ally in personalising cancer treatment for types of cancer where it adds clear clinical value.

PET-CT gives doctors patient-specific data. It shows how cancer is behaving at a cellular level, enabling your care team to tailor treatment decisions with more accuracy and confidence.

Why personalisation matters in cancer care

Cancer treatment isn’t just about destroying cancer cells; it’s about treating you in a way that’s right for your body, your circumstances, and your specific diagnosis. The more knowledge doctors have of what’s happening inside you, the better they can:

• Choose the most effective treatment
• Reduce side effects
• Monitor how treatment is progressing
• Adjust your care quickly when needed

PET-CT plays a central role in making this possible – translating symptoms into detailed, actionable insights so doctors can make decisions tailored to the specific diagnosis.

A scan that sees more than structure

Scans, like CT or MRI, are excellent at showing the size, shape, and location of tumours. PET-CT adds an advantageous layer of detail, showing how active the cancer is.

Here’s how it works:

• The CT scan provides anatomical images, like a high-resolution map of your body.
• The PET scan shows metabolic activity using a small amount of radioactive glucose (FDG). Because cancer cells typically use more glucose than healthy ones, they light up on the scan.

The two images combined create a full picture that shows not just where the cancer is, but also whether it’s active, aggressive, or responding to treatment.

It’s like seeing a building and also knowing what’s going on inside it. Are the lights on? Is there movement? That’s the difference PET-CT makes.

Personalised from the start

The first step in any cancer treatment plan is staging. This helps doctors understand how far the cancer has spread. This information is key to determining the most effective approach, whether it’s surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, or a combination.

PET-CT helps improve staging accuracy by identifying areas of active disease that may not show up on conventional scans. For example:

• In lymphoma, PET-CT can distinguish between scar tissue from previous treatment and active cancer cells, helping to accurately prescribe biopsies and radiation.
• In prostate cancer, advanced PET-CT tracers like PSMA can detect small areas of recurrence with extraordinary precision, guiding whether a patient should receive curative therapy or systemic treatment.
• In breast cancer, PET-CT can identify distant metastases not seen on other scans, directing the need for surgery and steering patients towards therapies that target the spread.

This early precision ensures your treatment plan is built around your cancer’s behaviour, not just its location.

Real-time treatment response

One of the biggest shifts in modern cancer care is the move towards flexible treatment plans. With tools like PET-CT, oncologists can evaluate treatment effectiveness while it’s still underway, and change course if needed.

This mid-treatment insight is especially valuable in cancers like:

• Lymphoma, where PET-CT, after two cycles of chemotherapy, can support the decision to continue, intensify, or switch treatment.
• Cervical cancer, where PET-CT can track whether a tumour is shrinking as expected, informing the next step.

If the scan shows the treatment is effective, it builds confidence. If not, doctors can pivot to a new strategy.

This level of adaptability is only possible when the treatment is built around real-time data.

Precision treatment

A key benefit of personalised care is knowing when not to treat. Cancer therapy can be taxing on the body, and not all treatments are always needed.

PET-CT helps by:

• Identifying low-risk patients who won’t benefit from further chemotherapy or radiation
• Confirming full response to initial treatment, influencing the decision around further treatment
• Flagging resistance early, so patients aren’t exposed to medication that won’t have the right impact 

Built for precision, backed by experts

While PET-CT is a powerful imaging tool, it’s not the most useful scan for every type of cancer. Some cancers, particularly those that don’t absorb glucose as actively, may not show up clearly on a PET-CT scan. In these cases, your doctor may recommend another type of scan that offers more accurate results.

That’s why PET-CT scans are not routine; they’re targeted tools used only when their specific benefits will truly help the patient. That’s why they’re often recommended for certain types of cancer, or specific points in the journey, such as:

• Staging advanced or complex cancers
• Checking treatment response in aggressive cancers
• Planning targeted therapies or surgery
• Investigating suspected recurrence

Your care team, including oncologists, nuclear medicine specialists and radiologists, will determine whether PET-CT is the right tool for your situation. It’s this collaborative, multidisciplinary approach that makes personalised care at Life Healthcare so powerful.

Patient-centred care

More than anything, personalised treatment is about treating the patient holistically, not just the disease. Knowing that your doctors have precise information tailored to your exact condition builds confidence. You are receiving a plan designed specifically for you.

PET-CT plays a role in that reassurance. It takes the mystery out of what’s happening inside your body and shows your care team exactly what they need to know to help you.

The future of cancer care is personal

As cancer treatment becomes more advanced, so does personalisation. PET-CT is helping lead that change. By revealing not just what cancer looks like, but how it behaves, it ensures every decision – from diagnosis to treatment – is based on further insight.

At Life Healthcare, we’re proud to offer access to PET-CT within our network. It’s part of our commitment to providing thoughtful, compassionate, precise, patient-centred cancer care.

If you’ve recently been diagnosed or are navigating treatment, speak to your doctor about whether PET-CT would be beneficial to your care plan.