The Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), a key unit of the Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai, has deployed a next-generation Spectral CT 7500 system to bolster early cancer detection and improve diagnostic precision in complex cases. The move comes amid a rising cancer burden in India and an increasing load of multi-system diseases that are straining tertiary care centres to deliver faster, more accurate diagnoses.
Clinicians at ACTREC will now be able to obtain detailed spectral information as part of routine CT scans, enabling deeper disease characterisation from a single exam without increasing radiation dose. The platform supports comprehensive full-body scans in roughly two seconds and is designed to cut down on repeat imaging, which often prolongs care timelines and adds to patients’ radiation exposure and anxiety. Experts have long flagged diagnostic delays and multiple investigations as key factors that push cancer patients into more advanced stages of disease and complicate treatment planning.
According to data cited by the centre, detector-based spectral CT can reduce the need for additional diagnostic procedures by 36 per cent in complex cancer evaluations. By consolidating information that would otherwise require multiple studies, the technology is expected to shorten diagnostic pathways and help clinicians reach treatment decisions more efficiently. This is particularly relevant in busy oncology hubs such as ACTREC, where patient volumes are high and the window for timely intervention is often narrow.
“Accurate and timely diagnosis remains the cornerstone of effective cancer care,” said Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi, Director, ACTREC. He said integrating advanced spectral imaging into routine clinical practice would allow clinicians to make faster, better-informed decisions while also improving workflow efficiency in high-volume oncology settings. By embedding the Spectral CT 7500 into day-to-day protocols rather than reserving it for select cases, the centre aims to bring advanced imaging benefits to a broader pool of patients across the cancer care continuum.
The deployment is also positioned as a response to systemic challenges in India’s cancer landscape, where growing incidence and limited specialist capacity often lead to bottlenecks at tertiary centres. Faster, more conclusive imaging could help reduce the back-and-forth of referrals and repeat scans, easing pressure on radiology departments and potentially shortening the time from first suspicion to initiation of therapy. For patients, fewer visits and fewer inconclusive reports can translate into lower out-of-pocket costs, reduced psychological stress and better adherence to planned treatment.
While oncology remains the primary focus, ACTREC expects the spectral CT platform to play a wider role in managing non-cancer conditions that demand rapid and confident assessment. The technology is anticipated to support cardiology, neurology and emergency care services, where nuanced imaging can be critical to early decision-making and outcomes. In these settings, the ability to capture spectral data in a single, ultra-fast scan could help distinguish between overlapping clinical presentations and guide more targeted interventions.
By strengthening its imaging capabilities with detector-based spectral CT, ACTREC is betting on technology that not only refines cancer detection but also streamlines the broader diagnostic journey for complex patients. As cancer numbers climb and multimorbidity becomes more common, such investments in high-end imaging are likely to play a central role in how Indian tertiary centres attempt to keep pace with demand while maintaining quality of care.
