Blessing Health urologist Dr. David Lieber sees the health system embracing its responsibility to cancer patients, their loved ones, and their providers.
“Blessing has made a huge commitment to fighting prostate cancer,” he said. “The Blessing Health urology team is proud to be part of an institution that says, ‘This is important.’”
A way Blessing has demonstrated this commitment is offering PET CT PSMA exams. That stands for Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen exams.
Through this test, men diagnosed with prostate cancer receive a dose of a new radiotracer that attaches to prostate cancer cells, making them visible through PET-fused-with-CT imaging. The test can tell providers if prostate cancer has spread and to where in the body.
“PSMA PET imaging provides us much more specific information than is available with other testing technology. That information helps determine if additional treatment is indicated,” said Robert Johnson, MD, board certified radiation oncologist and medical director of the Blessing Cancer Center. “The test also may be incorporated into the planning of radiation therapy for the prostate cancer patient.”
PET CT PSMA became possible in January 2022 when the federal Food and Drug Administration approved the release of the new, more specific radioactive tracer that detects the protein associated with the prostate membrane, thus making the detection of metastatic prostate tumors more reliable and definitive. Previously, tests for prostate metastatic tumors were not as sensitive as PET CT PSMA and could lead to false positives or unnecessary additional testing.
The outpatient-only exams are conducted every Friday afternoon by provider order.