Flor-18 NaF PET/CT
What is Flor-18 NaF PET / CT, How Does It Reveal Tumor Focus?
Deaths from prostate cancer usually result from bone metastasis and complications. Prostate cancer bone metastases can be imaged with high sensitivity using Fluorine-18 NaF (18F-NaF) PET / CT, and specific and targeted treatment of these tumoral tissues can be performed with Radium-223. This is a very good example for theranostic applications.
Your referring physician may recommend this test for the diagnosis of bone metastases. F-18 NaF PET / BT while accurately showing the location and extent of bone metastases, it also enables the use of Radium-223 alpha therapy, a successful targeted treatment option for painful bone metastases.
What Are The Advantages Of Flor-18 NaF PET / BT?
F-18 NaF PET / CT has ideal properties as a bone imaging agent and produces superior quality images in as short as 45-60 minutes. F-18 NaF PET / CT is an ideal alternative with more successful results compared to traditional bone scintigraphy for many patients, especially those who have been investigated for bone metastasis.
Who is Flor-18 NaF PET / BT Performed to?
Your referring physician may request F-18 NaF PET / CT scan for the following purposes:
● Determination of bone metastases
● Accurate determination of the extent of the disease
● Localization of malignant bone lesions
● Determining whether Radium-223 treatment is appropriate for the treatment of bone pain.
● Evaluation of treatment response
Is Flor-18 NaF PET / BT Safe?
F-18 NaF is a safe radioactive substance with no known side effects. The dose of radiation exposed is small and is cleared from your body at the end of the day. It takes you a few hours to leave the Nuclear Medicine clinic. We recommend that you minimize contact with others (especially children and pregnant women) for 6 hours after the PET / CT scan.
Preparation to Flor-18 NaF PET / BT
Before F-18 NaF PET / CT imaging, you will be asked to have some examinations and information about your disease to forward to the Nuclear Medicine department:
• Physician request form
• Your prostate cancer history (eg PSA, pathology results)
• The type and date of your previous oncological treatments (eg chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy)
• If exist your previous fractures or recent trauma history (location and date)
• If exist your previous orthopedic surgery interventions (date, type and place of intervention)
• If exist previous infection and location
• If exist previous surgeries related to the urinary tract
• The location of each bone pain
• Other images and reports (especially bone scintigraphy, CT or MRI)
There is no need to be fasting for F-18 NaF PET / CT procedure. You can take your medication as usual.
To increase renal excretion you should drink at least two glasses of water before and after the F-18 NaF injection to reduce radiation exposure and achieve the best image quality. It will be useful to continue drinking water for the rest of the day after the examination. All metal items / jewelry / prostheses should be removed during the procedure to prevent image artefacts.
How is Flor-18 NaF PET / BT performed ?
A small amount (1.5-3.7 Mbq / Kg (0.04-0.1 mCi / Kg) dose of F-18-NaF will be administered approximately 30-60 minutes before the imaging procedure, through the vascular access placed on your arm or back of the hand.
You need to empty your bladder just before F-18 NaF PET / CT imaging.
During PET / CT imaging (approximately 20-25 min.), You will be asked to lie on a special acquisition bed in a both ends open ring-shaped device, where body images are continuously recorded. The only troublesome part of the process; is that you stay stationary during this time. If you need, you can use the analgesics you brought with you before the imaging.
If needed, our experts can take additional images. Additional imaging process takes approximately 10-15 minutes.
Procedures in the Nuclear Medicine clinic can take a few hours to complete.
The vascular access in your arm will be removed after your imaging is complete and all your images are checked. With the approval of our healthcare staff, you can safely leave the Nuclear Medicine department.
Please note that you should avoid contact with small children and pregnant women for the first 6 hours after drug administration. Your images will be evaluated and reported by our Nuclear Medicine Experts within the specified time.