New diagnostic methods in action

Symbia SPECT-CT, which has a wide range of application, has been installed in the Lviv Cancer Treatment and Diagnostics Centre, the process of commissioning is underway. Thus, due to gamma camera, the accumulation of the radioisotope and its distribution in the body is monitored. For such images, a single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is used, during which the camera rotates around the patient and sends the image of the desired object in three dimensions to the radiologist. This examination may be combined with computed tomography (CT).

 

Scintigraphy of the skeleton (gamma-image) makes it possible to detect the prevalence of metastasis in bone tissue. In some cases, using SPECT, one may trace the effectiveness of treatment of metastases in the skeleton. Also, with the help of the SPECT/CT it is possible to examine the sentinel lymph nodes, that is, to determine the lymph nodes through which the outflow of lymph from the tumor is carried out.

 

The benefits of this kind of examination are obvious; we already have an example of the refuted diagnosis that was made on the basis of examination using the old gamma camera.

 

So the patient M. had thyroid cancer treated at the Cancer Treatment and Dignostics Centre. She received the second course of radiotherapy. The physician-radiologist, Bodnar Mykola, says: "We were aware that she had a metastase in the spine, in the sacrum. When she came for the second course of radiotherapy, new foci of lesions were detected during the examination using new equipment with the combination of images of computed tomography and nuclear medicine, that were not seen before and were interpreted incorrectly for the first time. The images confirmed the presence of metastases in the second lumbar vertebra and sacral bone, which did not raise any doubt. However, we found that the patient had a rectum metastasis, which was previously treated as a metastasis in the adrenal gland, and in addition minor metastases were detected in the lumbar bones, which, during the planar scintigraphy could be regarded as radioactive contamination of clothing."

 

The effectiveness of any disease directly depends on timely and qualitative diagnosis, and in oncology that saves lives.

 

This equipment is installed through the implementation of the World Bank's and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine "Serving People, Improving Health" Project, specifically within the "Preventive oncology and the implementation of effective anti-tumour technologies in Lviv oblast" Subproject. 

 

 

 

For the reference

 

The modern combined SPECT/CT SYMBIA T6 system from Siemens combines the advantages of gamma camera and the power of a 6-slice CT scanner, which makes it possible to raise the diagnostic process to a completely new, high-quality level. SPECT/CT is the technology that organically combines the functional sensitivity of SPECT with high anatomical detailing of multilayer CT. The precise combination of anatomical and functional images enhances the reliability of detecting and locating lesions. Thanks to the ability to perform two optimized scans in the course of the examination, the SPECT/CT increases the efficiency of the work to an unbeatable level, while allowing for the image of the highest quality. The application of this technique in oncology makes it possible to more accurately determine the presence or absence of the disease, as well as the degree of its severity. SPECT/CT is ideally suited for tumor visualization tasks, for example, for the diagnosis of breast cancer, breast cancer metastases or prostate cancer, primary bone cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, parathyroid gland adenoma, neuroblastoma, multiple myeloma, cancer or liver metastases, lung cancer, lymphoma, clarification of the localization of the affected lymph nodes. SPECT/CT may precisely locate tumors and improve the planning of surgical treatment.

 

A quantitative estimate of the accumulation of radiopharmaceuticals during the SPECT examination promotes the improvement of the techniques associated with staging tumors and the planning of therapeutic procedures. SPECT/CT technology improves the accuracy of dosimetric calculations when planning radionuclide therapy and subsequent patient monitoring.

 

Molecular diagnostics. At present, there is the development of a large number of radiopharmaceuticals for SPECT, which are specific for different tumors, and a large number of the specialized agents for radionuclide therapy. The tumors to which these drugs are used cannot be detected by other diagnostic methods. The higher the specificity of the drugs, the greater the need to directly obtain accurate anatomical information. Thanks to its full integration and exceptional image quality, the SPECT/CT is ideal for efficient visualization of the specialized radiopharmaceuticals and agents, which allows doctors to accurately locate the received functional information.