Molecular Imaging and Prostate Cancer
Molecular Imaging and Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 238,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed yearly and 29,000 men die from the disease each year.
As with other many other diseases, the ability to detect and evaluate the extent of prostate cancer in its early stages has a profound impact on patient outcomes. Along with traditional methods, like prostate-specific antigen blood tests and rectal examinations, molecular imaging tools now play promising roles in diagnosing and staging prostate cancer, as well as monitoring patients for disease recurrence.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scans
One type of molecular imaging is positron emission tomography (PET) scans. PET scans are used at Sheba to evaluate the extent and location of the cancer in our prostate cancer patients, as well as patients with many other types of cancer.
The radioisotope gallium-68 (68Ga) is bound to protein prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a compound that is often produced in cases of prostate cancer. Once the 68Ga-PSMA is injected into the patient, it begins to decay and emit particles. The PET scanner will detect these particles as “hot spots” or areas of greater concentration. These areas light up on the PET scan and allow the treatment team to see locations of metastatic, or cancer-spreading, activity.
A 68Ga-PSMA scan at Sheba only takes a single day, and results are available in 24 hours. At that time, our expert radiologists, oncologists, and other physicians consult together and recommend a treatment plan for the patient.

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