HYGEIA: New Revolutionary Imaging Technique for Prostate Cancer Recurrence

24 May 2018

The new PET/CT imaging technique using 18F-PSMA radiopharmaceutical offers early staging of prostate cancer. The exam is performed at HYGEIA Hospital,

It is an imaging technique that provides greater diagnostic accuracy compared to the scans performed currently.

The PSMA (prostate specific membrane antigen) is a transmembrane protein located in the prostate gland cells. Its connection to radioisotopes makes it possible to trace the extent of the disease in patients with prostate cancer recurrence, ensuring more accurate and targeted diagnosis.

As noted by Mr Vasilios Prasopoulos, Director of the HYGEIA Hospital Nuclear Medicine & PET/CT Departments, “PET/CT imaging with PSMA has clear advantages compared to established imaging techniques in prostate cancer staging, as it can detect recurrence even in patients with small increases in the PSA, offering early diagnosis, and consequently early treatment. Moreover, it is no longer necessary for patients to visit hospitals abroad to have this exam performed, which translated into added hassles and costs for themselves and the country’s health system. It also paves the way for individualized medicine, as it allows us to perform targeted treatments on patients with prostate cancer in a very short time. This new exam is ushering in the new era of theranostics (combination of diagnosis and therapy), which is the future of Nuclear Medicine.”

The HYGEIA Hospital PET/CT Department was the first to operate in Greece, in 2004. In partnership with the state-of-the-art Radiation Oncology Center, the Prostate Brachytherapy Center, the Ultrasound Department, and the CT & MRI Department, it offers well-rounded treatment to patients suffering from prostate cancer.