Bon Secours now offering PSMA imaging for prostate cancer
February 16, 2024
New Technology Helps with Treatment Decisions
Bon Secours St. Francis is now offering Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) imaging to help treat prostate cancer, the most common form of cancer in men.
“We’re excited to have this new technology, which can help identify cancer both in and outside the prostate gland. It will especially benefit men who have experienced a recurrence of the disease after previous treatments, as they are at risk for it spreading to other parts of the body,” explained Dr. William Lowrance, urologic oncologist at Bon Secours St. Francis Cancer Center.
PSMA is a protein typically found on healthy prostate cells, but it appears in much larger quantities on prostate cancer cells. During PSMA imaging, the patient is injected with a radioactive tracer that the PSMA cells attract. That allows the doctor to more easily see whether any prostate cancer cells are present during a PET/CT scan. It also helps show where the cancer cells are located, which helps identify if the disease has spread to other parts of the body. Knowing that can help doctors develop more specific treatment plans to address each person’s individual needs.
“Treatment for prostate cancer can range from radiation to chemotherapy, hormone medications, even surgery. This new technology provides additional information to help providers figure out what is going to be most effective for the patient they’re treating, and it ensures they know the correct location within the body to help target the treatment.”
Currently PSMA imaging is not intended to be a screening tool for prostate cancer. It is for those who have already been diagnosed with prostate cancer and either have a high chance of it spreading or who have a recurrence after initial treatment.
Odds are one in nine men will have prostate cancer at some point in their lives. To learn more about the condition and what resources Bon Secours has available, visit bonsecours.com.
About Bon Secours
Bon Secours St. Francis is part of Bon Secours Mercy Health, one of the 20 largest health systems in the United States and the fifth-largest Catholic health system in the country. The ministry’s quality, compassionate care is provided by more than 60,000 associates serving communities in Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, and Virginia, as well as throughout Ireland. Bon Secours St. Francis provides compassionate medical care to thousands of area residents through Bon Secours St. Francis Downtown and Bon Secours St. Francis Eastside, as well as a network of primary and specialty care practices, and ambulatory care sites across the Greenville region. In addition to charity care, BSMH invests in programs that address chronic illness, affordable housing, access to healthy food, education and wellness programs, transportation, workforce development and other social determinants of health that directly affect the communities we serve. The mission of Bon Secours St. Francis is to extend the compassionate ministry of Jesus by improving the health and well-being of our communities and bring good help to those in need, especially people who are poor, dying and underserved. For more information, visit BonSecours.com.
