The PSMA PET scan is quickly becoming the gold standard for diagnostic testing in cases of high-risk localized and metastatic prostate cancer. AUI patients on the Emerald Coast can now access this game-changing imaging technology at the Hope Regional Cancer Center in Panama City.
Advanced Urology Institute and Hope Regional Cancer Center merged in October 2023 to expand care and coordinate services to enhance the patient experience. Hope Regional Cancer Center provides imaging services for diagnosing nearly 30 different types of cancer, from breast to uterine.
The PSMA PET scan is essential in the treatment of prostate cancer because it shows the disease more accurately throughout the body.
“It shows us the disease at an earlier stage and allows us to be much more precise in our treatment planning,” said Dr. Hasan Murshed, a board-certified radiation oncologist with Hope Regional Cancer Center
PET stands for positron emission tomography, an imaging test that shows 3D images inside the body. PSMA stands for prostate-specific membrane antigen, a protein prostate cancer cells make.
The PSMA-PET test uses an FDA-approved radioactive tracing agent to pinpoint the location of cancer cells within the body. Patients are injected with the radiotracer before starting their PET scan. The tracer binds with the PSMA on the prostate cancer cells, so when your doctor reviews your PET images, any prostate cancer cells within the body are lit up by the radiotracer.
“October marks the first anniversary of our merger with Advanced Urology Institute, and being able to offer this potentially life-saving imaging service to our prostate cancer patients is a pretty great way to celebrate,” said Dr. Murshed.
Hope Regional Cancer Center was founded in 2012 by Dr. Murshed. It is a freestanding, comprehensive cancer treatment center that coordinates chemotherapy and immunotherapy infusion services, blood disorder treatments, and image-guided and intensity-modulated radiation therapy. It is among an exclusive group of freestanding cancer centers in Florida that has earned the prestigious American College of Radiology (ACR) accreditation, recognized as the gold standard in medical imaging.
