Nuclear medicine: early detection of malignant neoplasms

Has it ever occurred to you that if cancer can be detected in the “premature”, will the success rate of treatment be greatly increased? Actually, it’s not fantasy! With the development of medical technology, nuclear medicine is becoming an instrument for the early detection of malignant tumours, helping us to identify health hazards earlier and more precisely. What’s nuclear medicine? In short, nuclear medicine is a drug that uses radioisotope markers (also known as a radioactive molecule probe) and is imaged in the body through special equipment (e.g. PET/CT, SPECT/CT). These probes are like “navigators” that track the metabolic activity of tumour cells and help the doctors find the stoves that are still “diving.” Why is nuclear medicine suitable for early detection of malignant tumours? At an early stage, tumours may be found in very small cookstoves, and they may not be seen with traditional visual means (e.g. CT, MRI). However, metabolism of tumour cells tends to be more active than normal cells, such as more glucose, protein or nucleic acid. It is through these metabolic characteristics that nuclear medicine techniques precisely lock on the “location” of tumour cells. For example, the 18F-FDGPET/CT, which we often hear, uses a glucose like 18F-FDG as a tracer to capture metabolic anomalies by imaging. This is very useful in the early detection of malignant tumours such as lung cancer and lymphoma. What cancers do nuclear medicine detect? Currently, nuclear medicine has been applied to the early identification of multiple malignant tumours, including but not limited to: 1. lung cancer: PET/CT can detect a malignant tendency for early pulmonary knots; 2. breast cancer: recognition of hormonal receptor-positive tumours through a specific molecule probe; 3. prostate cancer: precision in the early detection of the canals using a prostate specific amphibal antigen (PSMA) probe; 4. gastrointestinal tumours: detection of tumour transfer or relapse. Is nuclear medicine safe? Many may be concerned about the “radiation problem” of nuclear medical examinations. In fact, the radiation doses used in nuclear medicine are very low, generally within a safe range, similar to a normal CT inspection. And the probe stays in the body for a short period of time and will soon be removed through metabolism. Nuclear medicine is an indispensable “reconnaissance soldier” in modern medicine, which allows patients to be treated as early as possible through the early detection of hidden tumours and improves their survival and quality of life. If you have symptoms of tumour family history or unknown causes, you may consult a doctor on the need for a nuclear medical examination. Stomach, liver, lung, cancer, cancer.