Recently FDA-approved nuclear imaging tests could detect prostate cancer quickly

Certain kinds of cancer, including prostate cancer, are famously hard to detect using PET scans, the method for which most kinds of cancerous tumors are located in the body. But another type of nuclear imaging could help detect tumors regular PET scans can’t see, according to the Wall Street Journal.

These tests combine imaging that looks for glucose use in cancer cells with specific markers (such as hormones or other properties associated with the specific kind of cancer targeted).

The FDA approved two types of these tests this year, including one that is designed to detect the amino acids associated with prostate cancer.

The test is more specific and location-based than a standard test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. And it can detect prostate cancer in men with PSA levels lower than five, according to the Prostate Cancer Research Institute, allowing for more time to treat and possibly cure the disease.

Check out the Wall Street Journal to see how the new test could be especially important for patients who are experiencing a prostate cancer relapse, and the other type of tumor for which this new nuclear imaging test has been approved.