In January 2007 EPIC Imaging | East installed the first commercially available PEM Flex Solo II system in the country. The organ specific PET device is optimized to image breast cancer and achieves the highest spatial resolution of any molecular imaging modality available today. PEM has the unparalleled capability of revealing breast cancers as small as 1.5 to 2.0 millimeters.

Like traditional PET scans, PEM looks at pathology on a molecular level but with its superior resolution and a sensitivity and specificity over 92% and 90% respectively the technology represents a dramatic leap forward in capabilities. It is currently used as an adjunct to mammography where studies have shown it to be the modality of choice in pre-surgical planning because of its ability to distinguish between multifocal and multicentric disease. This important distinction generally represents the difference between breast conservation therapy and mastectomy.

PEM has also proven very effective for staging and restaging, providing the earliest possible view of the efficacy of treatment. Patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy may be evaluated in as little as two to four weeks.

ADVANTAGES:

	•	Pre-Surgical Planning, Staging, Restaging, Equivocal Diagnosis
	•	Reveals breast cancers as small as 1.5 to 2.0 millimeters
	•	Distinguishes between multifocal and multicentric disease
	•	Provides earliest measure of the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy
	•	May be used in combination with full body PET/CT or alone
	•	Ideal for radiated breasts, dense breasts and implants