Mike’s Story

“You don't know how you're going to react until they actually give you those words, “You’ve got cancer.” So, then you don’t remember the rest of the day. Your brain races and starts thinking… “Am I prepared? Do I have my family prepared and is everything in order?” I got into a trial for Galium-68 and I ended up with a scan that really identified, in a short order but in also precise terms, where that cancer had recurred.

Everybody decided at the point, that I could just have that treated with a radiation device using what's called, SPRT or stereotactic body radiation treatment. So I chose… Five radiation treatments and off we went with life. And lived our life, everything was going well and then, unfortunately, in early 2020, I ended up with my prostate-specific antigen number going up again.

The doctors, who are my current care team, decided to give me a PSMA that was in a trial. I had my first image which showed that there were a couple of now new lymph node involvements and that my cancer had come back on my prostate. They only knew that, they found out through these scans.

If they can see it, they can fight it, right. They know where it's at, they can address it, and they can address it with incredible precision. And so also to your brain, when you can see something, when you have a vision in your head or in your mind and you know that it is in your body… I think there's something that gives you this mental picture that I can think about it, I can focus on it, I can kill it.

And I can say honestly that it's always changed my course of treatment - every time I’ve had a scan. I’m happy to report that we're now moving into our 30th month of being cancer free.”

-Mike C., via the Society for Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging

Bonnie’s Story

“In May 2015, after a surgery on a breast tumor, I was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer…

Each time I had a PET scan it showed more progression than CT scans that were performed in between. PET scans have proven to be more beneficial in my case and the cost and stress of travelling is reduced, as the PET is a one-time scan compared to three days for the Octreotide scan. This is a lot less stressful, which means a lot to a patient that has to regularly scan. The addition of the FDG PET allowed for awareness and treatment of both grade 1 and 2 tumours...”

-Bonnie M., Toronto, Ontario

Jackie’s Story

“In 2008, at the age of 38, I was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in my small intestine that had spread to my liver.  That year I underwent surgery to have the primary cancer removed as well as 60% of my liver.  I had a second liver operation in 2016, after which time I was told I may be NED (no evidence of disease) in my liver based on MRI imaging.

Knowing that my liver was being closely monitored with MRI, I advocated for a very specific PET scan, the Ga68 PET/CT to discover whether there was any disease outside my liver. At the time it was not possible to get this PET scan in Canada so I travelled to the United States to have it done. This PET scan was a game changer. I went for this scan thinking I was NED in my liver but was nervous as to whether there was anything outside my liver.  To my shock, the PET scan showed approximately twelve small tumours on my liver. I was crushed to learn that my liver was not NED as per the MRI but was happy to know that there was no disease outside my liver. This knowledge put my mind at rest and set the stage for ongoing monitoring of my liver every three months with MRI since the PET scan was not available in Ontario.

I travelled several more times to get access to this superior PET scan and I have had it twice now in Ontario with three years between the first and most recent scan...”

-Jackie H., Toronto, Ontario