Mercy Health – Springfield is now offering prostate specific membrane antigram (PSMA) imaging to help diagnose prostate cancer, the most common form of cancer in men.
“We’re excited to have this new technology, which can help identify cancer both in and outside the prostate gland. It will especially benefit men who have experienced a recurrence of the disease after previous treatments, as they are at risk for it spreading to other parts of the body,” explained Jodi Kincaid, radiology manager at Mercy Health – Springfield Regional Medical Center.
PSMA is a protein typically found on healthy prostate cells, but it appears in much larger quantities on prostate cancer cells. During PSMA imaging, the patient is injected with a radioactive tracer that the PSMA cells attract. That allows the doctor to more easily see whether any prostate cancer cells are present during a PET/CT scan. It also helps show where the cancer cells are located, which helps identify if the disease has spread to other parts of the body. Knowing that can help doctors develop more specific treatment plans to address each person’s individual needs.
“Treatment for prostate cancer can range from radiation to chemotherapy, hormone medications, even surgery. This new technology provides additional information to help providers figure out what is going to be most effective for the patient they’re treating, and it ensures they know the correct location within the body to help target the treatment,” Kincaid said.
Currently PSMA imaging is not intended to be a screening tool for prostate cancer. It is for those who have already been diagnosed with prostate cancer and either have a high chance of it spreading or who have a recurrence after initial treatment.
Odds are one in nine men will have prostate cancer at some point in their lives. Learn more about the prostate cancer and what resources Mercy Health has available.