positron tomography of breast cancer in a community hospital: a case study of advanced disease using a coincidence gamma camera

until recently pet scanning has been available only at major universities or teaching hospitals possessing the necessary resources and expertise to operate a research pet facility. most dedicated pet centers cost several millions of dollars, and include a cyclotron, a radiochemistry laboratory to synthesize pet radiopharmaceuticals, a multicrystal dedicated pet camera, advanced computer facilities and a staff of many researchers, radiochemists, physicists, computer programmers, physicians and technologists. because of the extensive staff requirements, operating costs have also been in the millions of dollars, and as a result, canada has only a handful of pet centers.