Diagnostic Imaging
Imaging tests allow doctors to see inside your body for clues about your condition and to determine whether cancer has spread, and to evaluate whether and to what extent a particular treatment is working. At Dignity Health – Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, we have a full complement of high-tech and low-tech imaging to support the diagnosis and treatment for our patients. Our diagnostic imaging services are closely located to and affiliated with our physician clinics. All communication with the patient’s oncologist is often as easy as walking across the hall. That convenience of communication is very valuable and time-saving, and in some cases it can be critical. It’s just another example of how we foster a multidisciplinary collaborative approach and convenient patient experience when receiving care.
When is diagnostic imaging needed?
Effective diagnostic testing is used to confirm or eliminate the presence of disease, monitor the disease process, and plan for and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment. Tests may be done for staging, to determine the extent of cancer and if it has spread. Or tests may be done to assess prognosis or select specific therapies. In some cases, repeat testing is needed when a person’s condition has changed, or when an abnormal test result needs to be confirmed. Imaging is used to:
- find or detect tumors and other abnormalities
- determine the extent of disease
- evaluate the effectiveness of treatment
- to perform biopsies
- in conjunction with surgical procedures
Multidisciplinary Approach to Cancer Care
Types of diagnostic imaging
At Dignity Health – Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s we have a full complement of diagnostic imaging equipment and testing options for our patients. Some of the diagnostic imaging options we offer include:
- Angiography
- Biopsies
- Bone scan
- Computed tomography (CT) scan
- Mammography
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Nuclear medicine imaging
- Positron emission tomography (PET)
- Screening (breast, lung, and colonoscopy)
- Stereotactic and ultrasound breast biopsy
- Ultrasound
- X-ray
