What does nuclear medicine do and why is it sometimes necessary to perform a PET-CT scan?

Nuclear medicine is a specialized medical field that uses radioactive substances to gain insights into the body’s functions or to treat diseased tissue in a targeted manner. Unlike other imaging techniques, nuclear medicine not only looks at the structure of organs, but also at their metabolism and function.

Areas of application in diagnostics and therapy:

• Highly sensitive diagnostics: Small tumors or metastases can often be detected before they become visible using other methods.
• Targeted therapies: Special radioactive substances can attack diseased cells directly, while healthy tissue remains largely unaffected.

PET/CT – combining nuclear medicine and imaging:

• One of the most important methods in nuclear medicine is PET-CT (positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography).
• This involves injecting a small amount of radioactive substance (tracer) into the body.
• This substance accumulates particularly in areas with high metabolism—for example, in tumors.
• PET measures the radiation emitted by the tracer, while CT provides a detailed image of the body’s structure.
• The result is a precise map showing where activity is taking place in the body and how diseased tissue is functioning.

Why this is important for patients:

• Early detection of tumors or metastases
• Planning of targeted therapy, individually tailored to you
• Checking whether treatment is effective

Nuclear medicine, and PET-CT in particular, are therefore key technologies in personalized cancer diagnosis and therapy.