Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is now one of the main causes of cancer deaths in our country. It occurs when an abnormal growth of certain cells takes place in the prostate gland. The prostate gland is an organ present in males and is responsible for semen secretion. Prostate cancer has 90% cure rate if it can be detected at an early stage. Treatment using molecular imaging techniques has improved in such a scale that achieving such a cure rate is possible.
Radiation therapy, chemotherapy or removal of the prostate gland is some of the treatment methods. At times, the determination of the spread of prostate cancer to other organs can be difficult. But with the new improved molecular imaging tools, prostate cancer detection and the flow of treatment has achieved a special height.
These imaging technologies that are mostly used are bone scan, the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanning and PET with computer-aided tomography (CT).
Bone scan
This type of scan is done to check whether prostate cancer has spread beyond the skeleton. Gamma camera, a special imaging device, is used to determine the accumulation of the radiotracer at the bone areas. The report reveals the presence of prostate cancer cells.
Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA)
PSMA is a type II membrane protein. It is present in all forms of prostate tissues; also in Carcinoma. The PSMA study gives the location and the extension of prostate cancer through images. This study has been performed on patients to determine the spread of the disease on the pelvic lymph nodes and also on patients who have recently done prostatectomy.
This study is performed on patients for 3 days. On the first day, the radioactive tracer is given through intravenous injection. The following 2 days is for imaging. The imaging session can take from 2 to 4 hours. The patient needs to remain still while the camera moves over the body.
Advantages of PSMA study
PSMA PET scan is mainly done to detect the stage of cancer, the exact location of the tumour and its extension to other parts of the body. Physicians can plan the treatment accordingly and select the most effective therapy for the patients.
Risks
The risk factor for this scan is minimal as the radioactive tracer which is given is always within the recommended dosage.
Cost of PET scan in Ranchi
Researchers are still on the process of developing this imaging technique. PET scan is a very recent development that has taken in cancer research. Because of which this type of imaging is little expensive and also limited to few multi-specialty hospitals. The PSMA PET scan cost ranges from around 15000 to 30000 rupees. This range is variable and can be more for different patients depending upon the criticalness of the disease. Only a few super specialty hospitals offer this medical facility of pet CT scan in Ranchi by highly qualified doctors and support staffs.