WORCESTER, Mass. - New healthcare technology will soon be available to residents in Central Massachusetts as Shields Health strengthens its partnership with UMass Memorial Health with the addition of a first-of-its-kind PET/CT (Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography) scanner.

The new system is expected to advance tumor imaging, particularly for men with prostate cancer.

Vice President of the PET/CT network at Shields Health said identifying the progression of reoccurring prostate cancer is significant for disease management, and it's how this technology will play a significant role.

"You want to know as you're trying to figure out," Lou Masella said. "Has the disease started again? Is it widespread? And how do you treat the patient going forward?"

"This is really where the test right now is just the most sensitive test we have. It can help identify recurrences earlier than you would normally do," UMass Memorial Medical Center's Dr. Mitchell Sokoloff said. "It can identify little spots of spread much earlier than the traditional MRI, CT scan or bone scan would do, so it just helps so much of the management."

The new system is installed at Shields' Shrewsbury Street imaging location in Worcester and is expected to be ready for patient use around mid-December.