Feb 27th: PET Report | TRIUMF : Canada's National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics (PET/CT scans)

"There is a human element to be considered in determining the value of a PET scan: The present report identifies numerous healthcare policies and provides considerable statistical information to describe the impact of PET imaging on cancer treatment. But it is also important to note that the impact of any healthcare policy goes beyond statistics to have a direct impact on individual patients and their families."

 
PET Report

The Use of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) for Cancer Across Canada: Time for a National Strategy

On Monday, February 27, 2012, TRIUMF/AAPS released a report surveying the utilization of PET imaging technolgoy for clincial care of cancer across Canada. The full report is available here in PDF format (about 3 MB). Susan Martinuk's briefing slides are available here. Helen Branswell's coverage on CTV.ca via the Canadian Press Pamela Fayerman's coverage in the Vancouver Sun

Cancer is a growing challenge to Canadians and an increasing burden on healthcare budgets. A ground-breaking report released today suggests that access to, and utilization of, leading-edge medical-imaging technology for the diagnosis, staging, and monitoring of cancer treatment varies widely from province to province, putting cancer patients in some areas at a distinct disadvantage.
The technology, called Positron Emission Tomography, is often coupled with Computerized Tomography (CT) and is known as PET/CT imaging. PET imaging is already widely used and integral to cancer care in most developed nations, and increased utilization of this technology could provide more clinically-effective and cost-effective treatment for cancer patients in Canada. A nationally coordinated strategy to take up this technology and standardize its use could bring Canada back to the forefront of global cancer care.

"Canada conducted 42,620 scans in 2009; 22,400 (51%) of those were carried out in the province of Quebec."

(PDF) Table of Contents

1.0 Summary of Key Findings....................................................................................................3
2.0 Preface ................................................................................................................................7
3.0 Executive Summary............................................................................................................11
4.0 Introduction to Positron Emission Tomography (PET)........................................................23
5.0 Clinical Effectiveness of PET Imaging in Oncology............................................................33
6.0 Cost Effectiveness..............................................................................................................43
7.0 Status of PET Imaging in Canada.......................................................................................47
8.0 Status of PET Imaging in British Columbia.......................................................................61
9.0 Status of PET Imaging in Alberta.......................................................................................69
10.0 Status of PET Imaging in Saskatchewan...........................................................................77
11.0 Status of PET Imaging in Manitoba....................................................................................83
12.0 Status of PET Imaging in Ontario.......................................................................................89
13.0 Status of PET Imaging in Quebec..................................................................................... 103
14.0 Status of PET Imaging in Nova Scotia ............................................................................. 113
15.0 Status of PET Imaging in New Brunswick....................................................................... 119
16.0 Status of PET Imaging in Prince Edward Island.............................................................. 125
17.0 Status of PET Imaging in Newfoundland......................................................................... 131

18.0 Findings: An Opportunity to Improve the Cancer Care of Canadians............................. 137

19.0 Conclusions: Time for a National Strategy...................................................................... 149

published March 21st: Wait Times in Canada--A Comparison by Province

click here for the pdf file


Conclusion
Although there is still much we don’t know, today the picture of wait times across priority areas and provinces is more complete and comparable than in the past. All-Canada estimates indicate that 8 out of 10 patients across the country receive priority procedures (hip, knee, hip fracture repair, cataract and bypass
surgery and radiation treatment) within the time frames that clinical evidence shows is appropriate. That said, the likelihood of receiving treatment within these time frames varies considerably, depending on both the priority area and where one lives in Canada. While there have been some improvements in wait times for priority area procedures over the last three years, these improvements are not being seen consistently across
all procedures or across all provinces. The ability to report these important findings has been enabled by provincial collaboration on measuring and collecting data. Important steps remain in improving consistency of cardiac urgency levels, as well as building more comprehensive diagnostic imaging data before the wait time information can be assessed in a more meaningful way."