Chonnam National University Hospital Introduces First Prostate Cancer-Dedicated PET-CT Scan in Provinces

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Jeonnam National University Hospital announced on the 12th that it has become the first in the provinces to introduce a prostate cancer-specific PET-CT scan, enabling more accurate treatment for prostate cancer patients.

The Nuclear Medicine Department at Jeonnam National University Hospital introduced the ‘Ga-68 PSMA-11 kit’ supplied by Telix in Australia, completed quality verification, and began prostate cancer PET-CT scans for patients starting March 28.

The prostate cancer-specific PET-CT utilizes the principle that when a radiopharmaceutical that selectively binds only to prostate cancer cells is injected into the patient's body, radiation signals are emitted only from the cancer cells to which the drug binds, and these signals are captured through PET-CT. This examination method improves accuracy in diagnosing prostate cancer, staging, assessing treatment response, recurrence, and metastasis.

In particular, the prostate cancer-specific PET-CT is expected to play an important role in prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) therapy, which is used for patients with refractory prostate cancer. This is because it can select patients who are expected to respond well to PSMA therapy.

This test received FDA approval in the United States in December 2020 and was approved as a new medical technology in South Korea in October 2021.

Professor Kang Taek-won of the Department of Urology at Jeonnam National University Hospital said, “The path to accurate diagnosis and effective treatment has opened for patients with refractory prostate cancer, who previously had poor prognoses due to ineffective treatments,” adding, “Jeonnam National University Hospital is expected to elevate the level of prostate cancer care, research, and treatment, which is being studied with various domestic and international institutions, to a new level.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.