Southeast Nebraska Cancer Center First in Nebraska to Offer New Type of PET/CT Scan

Southeast Nebraska Cancer Center (SNCC) is the first center in Nebraska to offer the first effective PET/CT scan for prostate cancer patients. The scan can detect the location and extent of cancer that has recurred after initial treatment and spread to other parts of the body. Prostate PET/CT scans can detect cancer earlier than either CT scans alone or MRI scans.

PET/CT scans work well for breast, lung, colon and other cancers, but until recently did not work well for prostate cancer because there were no effective tracer drugs for the disease. That changed in May 2016 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new PET scan tracer drug specifically for prostate cancer. The drug is a synthetic amino acid analog called Axumin (fluciclovine F-18) injection. Attached to the amino acid is a radioactive tracer, fluorine-18. After Axumin is injected into the patient, the drug is taken up by prostate cancer cells. The fluorine-18 emits a small amount of energy in the form of gamma rays. The PET/CT scanner detects this energy, and a computer produces a detailed image.

SNCC completed the first Axumin in Nebraska this past November, in collaboration with Urology, P.C.

For 20 years SNCC has provided comprehensive cancer care in two locations in Lincoln and eleven communities in Southeast Nebraska, combining advanced medical oncology and radiation oncology services. For more information, visit LeadingCancerCare.com or call (402) 420-7000.