What is nuclear medicine and molecular imaging?
Molecular imaging is a type of imaging that examines cells and molecules. While other imaging exams provide information about structures in your body such as organs, bones, and tumors, molecular imaging provides information about chemical processes and how your body works.
Nuclear medicine is a form of molecular imaging that uses small doses of radioactive material, called radioactive tracers or radiopharmaceuticals, to track chemical activity in your body. Abnormal cellular behavior, such as cancer cells that divide rapidly, usually indicates disease.
Recognized leaders in nuclear imaging
Penn Medicine is known throughout the U.S. and the world for our pioneering work in molecular imaging and nuclear medicine. As the birthplace of nuclear tomographic imaging and the site of the first human FDG-PET scan (imaging test for cancer), we continue to innovate through research, clinical trials, and education.
A skilled team of board-certified nuclear medicine radiologists, biologists, chemists, pharmacists, physicists, nuclear medicine technologists, and specialized nurses perform and interpret your imaging studies. In addition, our facilities have accreditation from the American College of Radiology (ACR) in nuclear medicine/PET. Wherever you receive care from Penn Medicine in the Greater Philadelphia, Lancaster, and Princeton areas, you can trust the expertise of our providers and the quality of our services.
Nuclear medicine and molecular imaging services at Penn Medicine
We use a wide range of molecular imaging techniques to detect diseases as early as possible, often before they would be visible on other types of imaging scans. We also use molecular imaging to plan and deliver treatment, evaluate the effectiveness of certain therapies, and track disease progression.
A PET/CT scan uses an injection of a radiotracer to create three-dimensional (3D) images of your body. We use this type of test to diagnose and stage cancer and evaluate heart problems. Our dedicated PET Center features the latest PET/CT technology and is the site of more than 6,000 PET/CT exams each year.
Our expertise in cardiac nuclear medicine allows us to evaluate coronary artery disease and cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease) with excellent precision and accuracy. We specialize in myocardial perfusion imaging (also called nuclear stress testing) to measure how much blood reaches your heart muscle, both at rest and when you exercise. The test helps us assess blood vessel blockages, tissue damage from a heart attack, how well your heart pumps blood, and predict your risk for a future cardiac event.
Precision medicine means selecting treatments for diseases based on a person’s individual genes, lifestyle, and environment. If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, we can look at changes to your genes to predict how well certain therapies will work and make a more customized treatment plan.
Molecular imaging plays a vital role in precision medicine for cancer treatment. For example, we can select tests that measure cancer cell metabolism (how efficiently cells convert fuel into energy) and proliferation rate (how quickly cells divide). This information can tell us if cancer has spread, if treatment is working, and how likely it is that new treatments will work.
In some cases, we use radiopharmaceuticals to treat cancer. Unlike traditional radiation therapy that aims beams of radiation at your body, radiopharmaceutical therapy uses radioactive substances to precisely target cancer cells. This approach minimizes damage to healthy tissue.
Therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals may be effective for some types of prostate, thyroid, and neuroendocrine cancers. Penn Medicine is at the forefront of research and clinical trials to investigate more uses for radiopharmaceutical therapy.
SPECT is a sophisticated nuclear imaging study for brain and heart diseases. It produces images based on how certain tissues in your body react with, or “take up,” a radioactive tracer. We may use SPECT to evaluate damaged brain tissue, cerebrovascular diseases, or neurological disorders such as dementia or epilepsy. It’s also useful for evaluating heart muscle function and planning treatment if you have heart failure or coronary artery disease.
Conditions we diagnose with nuclear imaging
Locations
Our hospitals, multispecialty medical centers, pharmacies, labs and more offer outstanding, personalized care for patients all across the region.