Interventional / Therapeutic Procedure

Here at the Asian Hospital and Medical Center, our Nuclear Medicine (NM) services extend to the treatment of cancer, as well as specific thyroid and parathyroid conditions, through the use of radiopharmaceutical agents. Our NM specialists are fully qualified and experienced to provide the following interventional and therapeutic procedures:

• Radioactive Iodine-131 Therapy (RAI Therapy) – This outpatient procedure involves ingesting a radioiodine known as sodium I-131 for the treatment of an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) and thyroid cancer. Sodium I-131 works by targeting and destroying thyroid cells to help regulate iodine levels in the body. With thyroid cancer, radioactive iodine therapy is used to ablate or destroy remaining thyroid tissues that were not removed during thyroid gland removal (thyroidectomy), as well as cancerous tissues that have spread from the thyroid to the lymph nodes and other parts of the body.”
  
• Parathyroid localization – This therapeutic procedure, which is also known as a Sestamibi parathyroid scan is focused on detecting the presence of cancer in the parathyroid glands, which are responsible for regulating calcium in the blood. It is primarily done to accurately locate parathyroid adenomas and tumors that may cause hyperparathyroidism and hypercalcemia. In terms of treatment, nuclear parathyroid localization assists surgeons in determining less invasive methods to address parathyroid conditions.
  
• Sentinel node mapping – This refers to the procedure to locate sentinel lymph nodes using radioactive tracers and determine the extent to which cancer has spread. During this procedure, the radiotracer is injected into the tumor, and using a special camera, the movement of the tracer will be tracked to the sentinel nodes. These sentinel nodes may also be removed for further assessment. Sentinel node mapping is commonly done to address breast cancer.
  
• Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) – SIRT is a form of internal radiation therapy used to destroy tumors without causing significant damage to nearby tissues. In this procedure, microspheres are injected into the bloodstream, travelling down to the affected organ and onto the tumor. These microspheres then emit a small dose of radiation to destroy the tumor. SIRT is typically done to treat tumors in the liver that are not easily accessible through traditional surgery.

For more information about our Nuclear Medicine services,
call +(632) 8-771-9000.