The Southern Hemisphere’s only mobile PET-CT scanner will soon be in Dunedin, providing the Southern district with greater access to advanced cancer services.
The mobile imaging unit, which is jointly owned by the Mobile Health Group and Mercy Radiology, hit New Zealand roads in March this year and to date has been used in Rotorua, Palmerston North, and Lower Hutt.
It will visit Dunedin Hospital for a staff and public open day on November 25, and it’s expected the unit will then be in regular service at Wakari Hospital from December or January.
PET-CT scans are advanced technology used for cancer diagnosis and staging, by determining the extent and location of cancer in a person’s body. They combine CT (Computed Tomography) scans, which use x-rays to create static internal images of the body, and PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans, which use small amounts of radioactive tracers to help diagnose, locate, and assess a disease.
The initiative has been developed in partnership with Health New Zealand, which is providing support services and will fund the scans for eligible patients.
Health New Zealand Southern general manager for surgical services and radiology Stephen Jenkins says the mobile unit will make a big difference for Southern patients requiring a PET-CT scan.
“There are currently only two PET-CT scanners in the South Island – both in Christchurch – along with 10 in the North Island,” Jenkins says.
“Most patients in the Southern district who require a PET-CT scan are referred to Christchurch, but from next week, they will be referred to the mobile imaging unit in Dunedin instead.”
Mercy Radiology medical director Dr Remy Lim says PET-CT scans can be used to study specific cancers such as prostate cancer, or various other types of cancer such as lung cancer, breast cancer, lymphoma, and head and neck cancer.
“Across multiple cancer types, PET-CT scans are more accurate in localising the cancer site and staging the cancer than traditional CT scans,” Dr Lim says.
“In 18-25% of cases, the PET-CT scan will lead to a change in how patients are treated.”
Mobile Health Group chief executive Mark Eager says the mobile scanner will increase accessibility for thousands of cancer patients across the country.
“While PET-CT imaging is becoming increasingly available in metropolitan areas, a permanent service in Dunedin may still be some time away, so Mobile Imaging and Health New Zealand have worked hard to make this happen in the Southern region”, Eager says.
“Mobile Imaging is about providing patients with accessibility and removing barriers such as travel expenses, or the inability to travel due to ill health.”
Mobile Health Group Commercial Manager Andrew Panckhurst says the mobile scanner will bridge the gap between regional and rural locations and reduce referral wait times and travel for many patients.
“Some patients requiring more specialised PET-CT scans may still need to travel, but the majority of patients living in the region can access the mobile facility at Wakari,” Panckhurst says.
The Mobile Health Group has previously offered other mobile health services in the Southern district.
It has offered a mobile service for fragmenting kidney stones at Dunedin Hospital since 1995, while its mobile operating unit has treated more than 7000 patients over the past 22 years in Oamaru, Balclutha, Gore, Dunstan, and Queenstown.
“It’s great to strengthen our partnership with Health New Zealand and to extend the range of services we provide to patients in the region,” Panckhurst says.
The mobile scanner will be at the former Health New Zealand immunisation services building on the corner of Hanover St and Cumberland St from 7am to 5.30pm on Monday.