PET CT Imaging Transforming Cancer Diagnosis And Treatment Planning For South African Patients

“Nuclear medicine and specifically PET-CT, plays a critical role in modern cancer diagnosis,” says Dr Bruce Young, nuclear physician at TheraMed Nuclear, in partnership with Life Healthcare.

“PET-CT provides highly detailed insights into both the structure and the metabolic activity of cancer, offering information that conventional imaging cannot.

“By combining anatomical CT imaging and functional PET imaging, we can more accuratelylocate tumours, determine disease extent and personalise treatment plans — often enabling more targeted and less invasive interventions.”

Tangible clinical impact

PET-CT is widely recommended in international clinical guidelines, including those of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM), for cancer diagnosis, staging and treatment response assessment.

When appropriately utilised, PET-CT has shown to change cancer staging or management in up to 30% of certain cancers compared with conventional imaging — underscoring its tangible clinical impact and the importance of expanding access for South African patients.

The launch of the PET-CT unit at Life Vincent Pallotti Hospital forms part of Life Healthcare’s broader oncology strategy to build an integrated, end-to-end “molecule-to-recovery” model- spanning isotope production, advanced diagnostics, radiotherapy and treatment delivery.

“While PET-CT is widely used in many global oncology centres, access in South Africa remains constrained,” says Pete Wharton-Hood, chief executive of Life Healthcare.

“We are committed to closing this gap by expanding capacity and enabling appropriate clinical use of this critical diagnostic technology.”

“By expanding our PET-CT network beyond Gauteng into the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, we are addressing a clear infrastructure gap while advancing a more integrated, patient-centred oncology platform.”

The addition of Life Healthcare’s first digital PET-CT at Life Vincent Pallotti Hospital expands the group’s national PET-CT footprint to four, with three scanners currently operational in Gauteng.

Two additional PET-CT scanners are expected to be launched in KwaZulu-Natal later in 2026.