At Icon, we use many different tests and scans to ensure our patients receive the best possible treatment for their cancer. For men with prostate cancer, one of the latest and most accurate tools used to detect the location of their cancer is the PSMA-PET scan.
A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is a nuclear medicine scan that tracks the uptake of a small amount of liquid radioactive material (also known as a tracer) in the body after it has been injected into the blood stream. Most PET scans use a type of radiolabeled sugar to detect the cancer, as the majority of cancers grow quickly and need sugar for that growth. The cancers show up as “bright” on the PET scan, providing additional information compared to a standard CT scan.
So, how is a PSMA-PET scan different to a standard PET scan?