People in Cheshire and Merseyside will be the first in the UK to benefit from a state-of-the-art new PET-CT scanner that has just arrived at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre’s Wirral site.
PET-CT provides detailed 3-D images inside the body. It combines position emission tomography (PET) imaging, which uses a mildly radioactive injection to highlight areas where cells are more active than normal, and computed tomography (CT) scans, which involve taking a series of x-rays to provide a three-dimensional view.
The new scanner is the UK's first Siemens Healthineers Biograph Trinion PET-CT machine boasting the very latest technology.
It replaces an older PET-CT scanner that was installed in 2015 at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Wirral (CCC-Wirral). There is also an advanced PET-CT scanner at the main Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool (CCC-Liverpool).
As PET-CT is highly specialised with only a few scanners in each region, both scanners are used for patients from many other hospitals in addition to those at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.
The new Siemens Healthineers Biograph Trinion scanner is significantly more advanced than the machine it has replaced at CCC-Wirral. Compared with the old machine, it will:
- Deliver vastly improved imaging and a better patient experience
- Reduce average scan times from 25 minutes to around 7 minutes
- Significantly increase PET-CT capacity at CCC-Wirral, enabling around 17 appointments per day compared with 10 on the current scanner
Replacing a PET-CT scanner involves months of preparation. The old machine was decommissioned and removed in December 2025. Since then, estates and infrastructure work has been taking place to prepare the site for the new scanner.
Now that the new scanner has arrived, specialist engineers will begin installation. Then clinical scientists from The Clatterbridge Cance Centre will carry out detailed safety and performance tests to accept and commission the system. The PET-CT diagnostic radiographers will also complete intensive training on the machine.
The Siemens Healthineers Biograph Trinion PET-CT scanner at CCC-Wirral is expected to be ready to scan its first patients this Spring.
Diana Almeida, Clinical Lead for PET-CT at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, said:
The new Biograph Trinion PET-CT scanner will further enhance The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre’s imaging capabilities, providing even more accurate and detailed images. Demand for PET-CT has significantly increased in recent years so we are delighted that the new scanner will reduce scan time considerably, allowing many more patients to have scans each day, and greatly improving patient experience.
Dr Ruth Brown, Consultant Radiologist and PET-CT ARSAC licence holder at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, said:
The replacement of the Wirral PET-CT will allow The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre to continue to provide a key diagnostic service for both oncologic and non-oncologic assessments. As this new installation can acquire scans faster without compromising on image quality, we will be helping facilitate timely diagnostic scans in the region both for both inpatients and the outpatients we serve.
The project manager for the estates and infrastructure work is PropCare, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre. The contractor is Seddons Construction and the architect is DAY Architectural.
