For Immediate Release April 10, 2002

IPET and B.C. Cancer Agency join forces to promote the use of PET scans for cancer patients.

Vancouver, B.C. - International PET Diagnostics Inc. (IPET) today announced that a number of closer links with the B.C. Cancer Agency have been established. These will lead to increased benefits to cancer patients through the use of PET (positron emission tomography) imaging, the best scanning technology for the detection and management of cancer today.

• The Cancer Agency is undertaking a review of IPET's first 600 scans, performed over the last year and half. This is a vital step in the evaluation of PET and confirmation of its validity as a superior diagnostic imaging tool for the early detection of cancer and choice of treatment. "Not only will the review assess how these PET scans influenced the care of patients, but also it will determine cost savings achieved," stated Dr. Simon Sutcliffe, CEO of the Cancer Agency.
• IPET and the Cancer Agency have agreed that Agency oncologists will inform patients of the availability of PET scans where medically appropriate. The cost is not covered by the Provincial Medical Insurance Program so patients or third parties presently pay for PET scans. "We are seeing a significant increase in third party payers for PET scans. There is broadening recognition that a PET scan can save lives and save money," said Denis Tusar, CEO of IPET. "Cancer Agency oncologists recognize the merits of informing their patients of the availability and option of PET scans as an integral part of the continuum of care."
• IPET has installed a remote reader at the Agency's Vancouver Centre, which will enable Agency oncologists to review FDG PET images "on-line" as well as receiving a written report. "The more the Agency doctors familiarize themselves with PET images, the more comfortable they will become with this technology," said Dr. Dan Worsley, IPET's Medical Director.

IPET and PET

International PET Diagnostics Inc., a Vancouver company, owns and operates the only private dedicated clinical PET scan facility in Canada.

PET (positron emission tomography) is the most advanced medical diagnostic imaging technology available today for the early and accurate detection of cancer. It is also valuable in detecting certain diseases of the heart and brain. Studies have shown that PET is up to 35 % more accurate than any other imaging modality. A whole-body PET scan provides information about the body's chemistry and cell function (metabolism) rather than pictures of the body's anatomy or structure as shown by X-ray, ultrasound, CT scans, or MRI. As a result, PET scans can reveal abnormalities or tumours that would otherwise go undetected.

The higher accuracy of PET scans significantly alters cancer patient management in more than 40 percent of cases, and provides valuable validation in up to a further 55 percent. PET imaging is vital to the early detection and effective treatment of disease.

For more information contact:

Denis Tusar, President and CEO
International PET Diagnostics Inc.
Telephone: (604) 689-7776
E-mail: tusar@petscan.ca