Parrish Medical Center Now Offers PET/CT with Axumin Imaging Specifically for Patients with Suspected Recurrent Prostate Cancer

Parrish Medical Center Now Offers PET/CT with Axumin Imaging Specifically for Patients with Suspected Recurrent Prostate Cancer

Advancing care of patients through the introduction of a new diagnostic agent

TITUSVILLE, FLA. (May 31, 2019) – Parrish Medical Center announces the addition of the first FDA-approved Axumin labeled Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging agent that has the ability to detect local or distant recurrence with a single PET/CT scan. For men with suspected prostate recurrence, based on elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood levels following prior treatment, Axumin has the ability to locate cancer at the cellular level. This advancement in imaging may assist with earlier detection and localization resulting in a change in treatment management.

“This test allows us to detect recurrent or metastatic cancer earlier so that we can use newer, effective therapies earlier and improve patient outcomes,” said Parrish Healthcare Urologist Mark R. Licht, MD.

Over 30% of men treated for primary prostate cancer will experience biochemical recurrence within 10 years¹. Of those men, over 30% will develop metastatic disease within 8 years¹. The most commonly used imaging procedures have low detection rates, may not detect small tumors less than 1 cm in size or when PSA levels are less than 10 ng/ml, are difficult for everyday use and may require multiple scans to evaluate. The safety and efficacy of this injected diagnostic agent was confirmed in a retrospective multicenter study, showing that in patients with histological confirmation of extraprostatic disease (clinically localized prostate cancer), the scan correctly identified the lesion in over 90% of the cases².

“Axumin is advancing the way we detect and treat prostate cancer,” said Parrish Cancer Center/OMNI Healthcare Oncologist Craig K. Deligdish, MD. “We’re excited to provide this service to Brevard County and to provide more effective treatment that can increase survival rates.”

PMC offers this PET/CT with Axumin scan Wednesday. For more information or to schedule your appointment with a physician order, please call 321-268-6150.

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About Parrish Medical Center

Parrish Medical Center (PMC), a Parrish Healthcare integrated care partner, is located at 951 N. Washington Ave., Titusville, Florida. The 210-bed, not-for-profit, public medical center has served Brevard County for more than 60 years. PMC is the first in the nation to be Integrated Care certified by The Joint Commission and is nationally recognized as One of America’s Finest Healing Environments®. PMC maintains top-tier national rankings for clinical outcomes, safety and patients’ experiences according to CMS, The SafeCare Group, The LeapFrog Group, The Patient Safety Movement Foundation and The Joint Commission. PMC is also nationally recognized among the best places to work in healthcare. For more information, visit www.parrishmed.com.

About Parrish Healthcare

Parrish Medical Group, a NCQA Certified Patient-Centered Medical Home, offers a comprehensive and individualized approach to healthcare. Parrish Medical Group is part of Parrish Healthcare's nationally certified integrated care system and North Brevard’s largest multispecialty medical group with convenient locations in Titusville, Port St. John (Cocoa), and Port Canaveral. Visit parrishmedgroup.com for more information.