AI-POWERED DIGITAL PET/CT: REDEFINING CANCER IMAGING AND CARE IN 2025

Authored by Dr Mary Anne Joseph, Head -Nuclear Imaging & Theranostics, S.L. Raheja Hospital, Mahim-A Fortis Associate.

A Paradigm Shift in Oncologic Imaging

The number of people being diagnosed with lung, breast and head-and-neck cancers is growing grown steadily, fuelled by air pollution, sedentary work cultures, rising tobacco use, and late detection. We are seeing a steady rise in number patients whose diagnosis could have been caught earlier or whose treatment plans might have been more precisely tailored are if we had access to faster, more accurate imaging. Sadly, we are see younger patients presenting with late-stage disease or the more aggressive variants of cancer.

At this point, cancer diagnostics is at a turning point. Deep Machine Learning or Artificial intelligence (AI) as we commonly know it - once just a future possibility, now plays a key role in everyday clinical work, especially in Positron Emission Tomography/ Computed Tomography (PET/CT) scans.

By combining molecular imaging with smart computer programs, doctors can now study tumors in ways they couldn't even imagine a few years ago. This next-generation platform shows how AI has grown from test projects to become crucial for precise and personalized cancer care.

Inside the Technology - From Photons to Prognosis: Digital PET/CT uses technology which is different from older generation of detectors. It uses solid-state digital photon counters, giving us images which is much clearer and more detailed. When paired with AI, this leads to:

Ultra-fast image acquisition – Scan times can be reduced from the traditional 30–40 minutes to as little as 6–8 minutes, enhancing patient comfort and increasing daily throughput. For patients who are already anxious, that shorter scan is less stressful and far more comfortable. Given that cancer cases are rising, doctors can now perform more scans each day and effectively manage patient workload without stretching for long hours.

Sharper, high-contrast images – Smart computer algorithms clean up and sharpen images showing tiny cancer spots or swollen lymph nodes that doctors might miss otherwise.

Automated lesion detection and segmentation – Smart computer models spot and mark tumors giving reliable measurements that doctors need to plan treatment and run clinical trials.

Predictive analytics – Perhaps most exciting, the platform integrates PET/CT data with clinical records to generate prognostic indicators such as predicted overall survival or likely response to targeted therapies. This transforms our conversations with oncologists: instead of just describing tumour size or uptake, we can discuss patient-specific outcomes.

Motion free clarity - Breathing motion often blurs images, particularly in chest and upper-abdomen cancers. The AI-driven reconstruction algorithms virtually eliminate these artifacts, giving me crisp, high-contrast images that reveal even small lymph-node metastases. This precision allows oncologists to stage disease with greater confidence and plan therapy earlier.

Transforming the Cancer-Care Continuum

Dense population, environmental challenges, socio-cultural hurdles create unique pressures on our health system. We must handle high daily volumes of scans without sacrificing quality. For Oncologists, these technological advances mean earlier and more confident diagnosis, more accurate staging, and real-time monitoring of treatment response.

Digital PET data integrated AI-driven adaptive Radiotherapy planning protects healthy tissue while ensuring precise dose delivery. In the realm of clinical research, automated image harmonization accelerates multi-center trials and standardizes outcome assessments, shortening the time from bench to bedside for novel therapeutics. By speeding up image matching across centers AI cuts the time for new Cancer treatments to reach patients.

Guardrails for Responsible Innovation

The industry response to these innovations has been highly positive, with healthcare professionals noting the seamless integration, ease of use, and significant efficiency gains. The technology is particularly valuable in busy departments where staff frequently rotate, as it establishes a new standard for imaging consistency and workflow automation.

As these capabilities expand, governance and compliance are paramount. Hospitals adopting AI-powered imaging, including Fortis’ S.L. Raheja Hospital at Mahim, are instituting rigorous validation protocols to ensure algorithmic transparency and adherence to emerging regulatory frameworks such as India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act. Continuous calibration against diverse patient cohorts remains essential to maintain trust and clinical relevance.

For me, this is more than adopting a “shiny new gadget”, it is embracing a new standard of care for a city and country that urgently needs it. Cancer incidences continues to rise in India’s urban centres, AI-powered molecular imaging is not a futuristic concept; it is the lifeline that allows us to stay ahead of the disease curve, deliver personalised medicine, and give our patients and their families a tangible reason for hope.

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