Shared on behalf of Dave McConnell, Director, Regional Cancer Care North West and Sandra Wilson, Manager Molecular Imaging, MRI, US and Clerical Support

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We are pleased to announce that as of March 12, 2024, our Hospital now offers Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) Positron Emission Tomography (PET) prostate scans to patients. PSMA PET scans are used to target a protein found in prostate cancer cells and can potentially identify areas of prostate cancer recurrence not seen with routine imaging such as Bone Scans, MRI or CT.

Although our Hospital had previously participated in a clinical trial to be able to offer this testing, as a result of COVID-19 as we were unable to secure the radiotracer (F-18 PSMA) needed to perform the PSMA PET scan. By bringing awareness to this inequity for the North, a solution was pursued to address this gap in prostate cancer management.

After much advocacy, we have successfully secured funding and are now manufacturing this radiotracer in our Nuclear Medicine department. By having this isotope in our hospital, adjacent to our PET/CT scanner, the Nuclear Medicine team can prepare this radiopharmaceutical without barriers created by transportation or distance. This program expansion will enable us to provide timely care for patients in the Northwest region closer to home.