UKIAH, CA., 6/12/25 — A new machine at the Adventist Health Ukiah Valley hospital will change the way cancer patients are diagnosed in Mendocino County.
The hospital recently unveiled its new positron emission tomography (PET) machine, a scanning device that uses a radioactive substance called a “tracer” to look for cancer in the body. PET scans display images of internal organs and can help diagnose serious conditions like neurological disorders, heart disease, or cancer.
“As a rural community, we’ve faced significant challenges in accessing timely cancer diagnostics,” Dr. Hengbing Wang, an oncologist at Adventist Health Ukiah Valley’s Cancer and Infusion Center, said in a press release. “The arrival of a permanent PET/CT scanner here at Adventist Health Ukiah Valley significantly enhances our ability to diagnose and treat cancer more quickly and effectively. It brings cutting-edge technology close to home…”
The new PET machine was designed by Canon and delivers high-quality scans that take half the time to develop compared to traditional scans. According to Adventist Health’s press release, the scans are more accurate than older machines and will improve diagnostic accuracy.
A PET scan can diagnose conditions such as colorectal cancer, head and neck cancers, cervical cancer, thyroid cancer, and myeloma, in addition to other types of cancers.
To learn more about the new PET machine or to schedule an appointment, people can visit Adventist Health by clicking this link.