No. Although ProstaScint may localize to bone metastases, the radionuclide bone scan shows a much higher sensitivity in the evaluation of skeletal involvement.

Proper patient preparation is mandatory to obtain optimal images for interpretation. There is no patient preparation required prior to the day of infusion. Once infused, the patient should adequately hydrate until all imaging sessions are complete. The patient should take an oral cathartic the evening before the delayed imaging session.

The presence of human antimurine antibodies (HAMA) in serum as a result of ProstaScint may interfere with some antibody-based immunoassays, such as PSA. However, the commonly utilized PSA tests are very resistant to this type of interference.

After your test, call the office to schedule a follow-up appointment. Dr. Stanley will explain and discuss your results at this time.

Bone mineral density scans are important to monitoring your bone health, especially as you age. Find out how this scan detects bone brittleness. There are many respiratory illnesses caused by irritants in the workplace and at home. Find out what Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS) and Irritant Induced Asthma (IIA) are and how they differ.

Training in the use of ProstaScint is made available through the Partners in Excellence (PIE™) program. Interpretation of a ProstaScint scan requires knowledge of the pelvic anatomy, experience in interpreting nuclear medicine studies and understanding of normal/abnormal biodistribution.

Antibiotics can be a first response to any increasing PSA or to a PSA level that might trigger a biopsy. With cancer, the PSA doesn't decrease. With infection, it sometimes but not always does. An alternative to antibiotics would be to repeat the PSA after an interval and see if it comes down on its own. Some experts think it is wrong to use antibiotics unless there is a culture test which shows an infection, but I do not agree.

With normal aging, underlying medical conditions, use of medications and family history of osteoporosis/fractures, bones can weaken and fracture. The most common cause of bone weakening is osteoporosis. As the bones weaken, the probability of fractures increases. In the U.S. today, 10 million people already have the disease and 18 million more have low bone mass resulting in an increased risk for the disease and fracture. Osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1-2 million fractures per year.

The purpose of Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT) and Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant (PBSCT) in cancer treatment is to enable patients to receive safely very high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. High doses of chemotherapy and radiation therapy will destroy cancer cells and some healthy cells. BMT and PBSCT replace healthy stem cells that were destroyed by these treatments.

The bone scan will reveal the overall density of your bones and predict the chance of a fracture. Bone scans are more sensitive for detection of bone density than simple x rays.

DEXA bone densitometry is an x-ray system that use for measuring bone mineral density (BMD). DEXA is a quick, painless procedure for measuring bone loss. Measurement of the lower spine and hips are most often done.

Your doctor would recommend a ProstaScint scan if you had a biopsy of the prostate gland that showed you have prostate cancer and he/she feels that there is a risk the cancer may have spread (metastasized) to the lymph nodes or tissue that surrounds the prostate gland. If you have had your prostate gland removed and blood tests show a rise in your PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) levels your doctor may order a ProstaScint scan to rule out the spread of prostate cancer.

You should not have a ProstaScint scan if you are allergic to murine antibodies or to the radio active material called Indium 111

Two clinical trials have shown that ProstaScint imaging is effective in detecting sites of prostate cancer. ProstaScint has been shown to detect disease not readily demonstrated by CT or MRI. The information provided by ProstaScint imaging should be confirmed histologically and considered in conjunction with other diagnostic information.

After being treated with high-dose anticancer drugs and/or radiation, the patient receives the bone marrow or PBSCs through a central venous catheter, a flexible tube that is placed in a large vein in the neck or chest area. This part of the transplant is called the "rescue process."

After entering the bloodstream, the transplanted cells travel to the bone marrow, where they begin to produce new white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets in a process known as "engraftment." Engraftment usually occurs within about 2 to 4 weeks after transplantation, and is monitored by checking blood counts on a frequent basis.

PSA is an excellent marker for use during and after cancer therapy. PSA lets the patient know how the cancer is responding to the treatment.

The Bone Density Scan can accurately predict who is at increased risk for fractures and be used to accurately follow those with osteoporosis for worsening or improvement. It can be used to guide treatment of this potentially devastating disease. The Bone Density Scan uses electron beam tomography to measure bone density. Quantitative Computed Tomography is the GOLD Standard for bone densitometry.

A bone scan is an x-ray that can show bone loss in the spine and hip area. The test takes about 10-20 minutes.

A physician or radiologist may refer a woman for a T-scan after mammography is performed, if a suspicious region is detected with mammography or physical examination. Please note, T-scan breast imaging is presently available at only 36 locations worldwide (see the section Where is T-scan Available). As T-scan becomes more widespread, more patients may be referred for breast imaging with the electrical impedance technology.

Imaging with ProstaScint serves as a noninvasive test to evaluate extraprostatic areas for metastatic disease. ProstaScint provides information that complements PSA, Gleason score and clinical stage. A positive scan should prompt confirmatory studies (PLND or biopsy of distant sites) prior to initiation of a definitive surgical procedure. ProstaScint provides important information which helps in deciding which course of treatment is most appropriate for a particular patient.

PSA is an excellent marker for use during and after cancer therapy. Ninety-nine percent of the time, PSA lets a patient know how the cancer is responding to the treatment.

If several nuclear medicine studies are being considered at once, the study that uses the radionuclide with the shortest half-life or lowest energy should be performed first. If additional nuclear medicine studies are required after the ProstaScint imaging, there will be a waiting period for the indium In 111 to decay to undetectable levels.

A bone scan is very sensitive and may identify abnormalities in the bones and joints that may not yet be visible on x-rays.

It is important to be well hydrated by drinking several glasses of water or other fluids. No other preparation for the bone scan is needed.

A radioisotope tracer containing a small amount of radioactive material is injected into a vein through a small needle. In some cases an initial scan will be performed immediately after the injection to determine the blood flow pattern to the part of the body being scanned. Following the injection, it takes two to three hours for the radioisotope to enter the bones. During this time you should drink several glasses of water or other fluids.

In certain instances an MRI examination may provide information similar to that obtained from a bone scan.