§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what price is paid for each dose of radioactive, positron tracers used by each PET scanner centre.[145003]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe costs of isotope production are dependent on a number of factors, including whether the production is on a commercial basis and the costs of transportation to the Positron Emission Tomography (PET) centre. However, a report of the Intercollegiate Standing Committee on Nuclear Medicine, published by the Royal College of Physicians in January 2003, details that typical costs are around £315 for each dose of tracer.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the benefits of PET scans;[1 45004]
(2) if he will list the most common uses of PET scans;[145005]
(3) what plans he has to expand the provision of PET scanners over the next five years.[145019]
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§ Miss Melanie JohnsonPositron Emission Tomography (PET) scanning enables highly sensitive and specific functional imaging of metabolic processes involved in oncology, cardiology and neurology. It holds particular promise for cancer services
In response to requests from National Health Service and research stakeholders the Department of Health will shortly publish a framework for PET scanning for consultation. This framework will enable the NHS to develop a clear national policy position which will set out, from the evidence, which tumour groups would benefit from PET scanning, likely future demand, and the optimal configuration and location of PET scanners. This would ensure that access to PET facilities was available to patients from all cancer networks and that high quality research could also be undertaken on the future applications of PET.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of PET scanners per head of the population in(a) England and (b) other EU countries.[145013]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThere are five Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanners operating in the national health service in England. The Department has made no assessment of the relative numbers of PET scanners in England and other European Union countries.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of each PET scan to the NHS was in each of the five centres operating PET scanners in the last 12 months.[145014]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe cost of each Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan depends on a number of factors, such as the condition the patient is being scanned for, the type of isotope used, transportation costs and the isotope supplier. This information is not held centrally.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff are(a) trained to operate PET scanners and (b) work in PET scanner departments in the NHS.[145015]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonA number of professional staff are needed to run a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) facility. These include radiographers/nuclear medicine technicians; consultant radiologist/physicians, medical physicists, medical physics technicians; radiochemists and; radiopharmacy technicians.
Figures on numbers of staff trained to operate or work in PET scanner Departments are not collected centrally
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many PET scans were carried out in each of the last five years funded(a) privately and (b) by the NHS.[145020]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe numbers of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans carried out each year varies from centre to centre and this information is not held centrally.