By:Robert Remler
Technology exists just off the Southern State Parkway that improves the odds of surviving cancer and other threatening diseases.
A million-dollar computed tomography scanner on the ground floor at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre performs a function once found in science-fiction paperback novels.
Twenty-five years ago, detecting cancer was done by surgery. Today, the newest generation of the CT scan, which is faster and more sensitive than previous versions, can detect cancer within seconds.
The non-invasive procedure requires a patient to lay face up on a sliding table that sits in front of what resembles a giant plastic donut. Actually, the equipment is a circular X-ray tube that detects cancer nodules growing in the body. In just one minute, the scanner performs a radiological examination that uses pencil-thin X-ray beams to take images from the top of the brain through the pelvis.
"The whole body can be done in one breath-hold," said Dr. Ronald Bluth, a radiologist, who researched purchase of the scanner for a year before bringing the machine to Mercy. "It has become glaringly apparent that regardless of how good cancer treatment is, it is obviously better to find it before the cancer spreads."
The scanner at Mercy was the first of its kind in Nassau County, according to Bluth, and the purchase has put Mercy at the forefront of cancer detection. "It is used to find the cancer before the cancer destroys lives."
The sooner cancer is detected in someone, the sooner it can be removed, and Bluth expects future studies to demonstrate that as a result, lives will be prolonged. "Common-sense intuition indicates the earlier you take out the cancer, the better."
Within seconds, images appear on computer screens behind glass windows near the scanner, and the images are stored on computer files. Bluth reviews the images and then generates a report, which is passed on to the referring physician.
"The days of going for a routine chest X-ray are outdated," Bluth said. "People do it, but if you think about it, you can't see a cancer in its early stages, so why do it?"
The CT scan is also used for specialized procedures, such as detecting lung cancer and cardiac calcium deposits. He recommended that the lung-cancer screening procedure be done for people over 50 who have smoked at least a pack of cigarettes a day for ten years.
Cardiac calcium screening is recommended for patients who have a strong family history of heart problems. Bluth recommended that the procedure be done on people as young as 35. The process is especially efficient if the patient demonstrates high risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and stress. "We want to scan these people because they are already set up to have a heart attack based on the risk factors," he said.
"The scanner has already revolutionized the way medicine is practiced in hospitals," he went on. "Technology is getting to the point where more work is being done in cardiac imaging." Currently, using the scanner, doctors look for calcium deposits at the structure of the heart's vessel.
"You can wait for the future to come to you, or you could go to the future," Bluth said.
Last week, Yale Fishman of Lawrence went for the total body scan at the recommendation of his doctor. Although he was anxious before the procedure, he was relieved by the results. "Now, I know I have a clean bill of health," he said.
Subhed: Lectures and meetings
The American Red Cross in Nassau County will conduct an infant CPR course at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 24 at [SET BOLD]Winthrop-University Hospital[END BOLD]. Call (516) 747-3500 ext. 230 or 234. ... The American Diabetes Association offers its 24th annual family symposium at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 7 at [SET BOLD]C.W. Post College[END BOLD] in Brookville. Call (516) 931-3974 for more information. ... [SET BOLD]Winthrop-University Hospital[END BOLD] is sponsoring a free lecture and screening examination for colorectal cancer at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 20. Call (516) 663-8300 for information. ... Free lectures are offered on Tuesdays and repeat monthly at [SET BOLD]Franklin Hospital Medical Center[END BOLD]: "Really Living With Chronic Illness" is on the first Tuesday; "Caring for Self When Caring For Others," second Tuesday, and "Cancer, Gaining a New Perspective," third Tuesday. "Stress, What's That?" is a stress- management group that meets monthly on the fourth Tuesday. All sessions are in the Shankman Auditorium at 7 p.m. Call (516) 256-6440 for more information. ... Dr. Corrine E. Tobin will host a free discussion on the latest in breast-cancer detection at [SET BOLD]Adelphi University[END BOLD] in Garden City at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 4. Call (516) 877-4325. Seating is limited and reservations required. ... St. Francis Hospital has scheduled three free educational talks: Management for those with an internal cardioverter defibrillator device is at 7 p.m. Monday, March 19; "Clearing the Air -- Living with Lung Disease" is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, and "Congestive Heart Failure" is at 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 30. The free lectures will be at the [SET BOLD]DeMatteis Center for Cardiac Research and Education[END BOLD], Northern Boulevard, Old Brookville. Seating is limited and reservations required for each event. For more information, call (516) 562-6890.
Donations still needed
The Red Cross continues to seek financial contributions in the wake of the devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake that shook India in the state of Gujarat on Jan. 26.
To help the victims of this and other disasters, you may send contributions to the American Red Cross in Nassau County, 195 Willis Ave., Mineola. Or, call 1-800-HELP-NOW [English] or 1-800-257-7575 [Spanish]. For more information, visit www.NassauRedCross.org.
