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Houston Methodist The Woodlands first hospital in Montgomery County first to offer Axumin injection for PET imaging of recurring prostate cancer

By: Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital
| Published 05/25/2018

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THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. While most primary prostate cancer can be successfully treated, recurrence occurs in up to one-third of patients. Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital is the first hospital in Montgomery County to offer the Axumin injection for PET imaging to identify recurrent prostate cancer in its earliest stages.

The injection is a novel molecular imaging agent indicated for use in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to identify suspected sites of prostate cancer recurrence in men who have elevated blood levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) following prior treatment.

“We are very proud of our latest technology to improve men’s health,” said Trent Fulin, vice president of operations at Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital. “This is a revolutionary diagnostic tool that allows doctors to locate the area of recurring prostate cancer in its very early stages and then tailor a very specific course of treatment.”

Recurrent disease is typically detected by a rise in PSA levels, but often the location and extent of the disease cannot be detected by conventional imaging.

“Typically, we follow a man after radiation or surgery treatments with just PSAs,” said Dr. Miguel Mercado, urologist with Texas Urology Specialists and member of Houston Methodist Physicians’ Alliance for Quality. “It is not until their PSA levels are very high that you might actually be able to see a lesion on a regular CAT scan. This new injection is much more sensitive for prostate cancer, and it allows us to find a recurrence and localize where it has come back. We can then look into potentially appropriate methods of treatment."

Today, Houston Methodist The Woodlands has performed eight PET scans using the Axumin injection.

“This technology is revolutionary,” said Mercado. “We now have the opportunity to bring patients here so they do not have to go outside of Montgomery County for this valuable test.”

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