Health

Vietnam successfully produces radioactive drugs used to diagnose cancers

Ho Chi Minh City-based Cho Ray Hospital, the leading medical facility in the south, said on December 6 that it has successfully produced two new radioactive drugs used to diagnose, monitor and treat prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumors.
Vietnam successfully produces radioactive drugs used to diagnose cancers ảnh 1The State-run Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City announced it has successfully produced two new types of radioactive drugs used in the diagnosis and monitoring of prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumours. (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNS/VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City-based Cho RayHospital, the leading medical facility in the south, said on December 6 that ithas successfully produced two new radioactive drugs used to diagnose, monitorand treat prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumors.

The two drugs are Ga-68 PSMA and Ga-68 Dotatate.

With the successful production of these two types of radioactivedrugs, patients will no longer need to go abroad at high cost to access thistreatment.

Dr. Nguyen Xuan Canh, head of the hospital’s Nuclear Medicine Department, saidthat Galium-68 PSMA (Ga-68 PSMA) in prostate cancer and Galium-68 Dotatate(Ga-68 Dotatate) in neuroendocrine tumours are used widely for patients inadvanced countries around the world.

These two drugs were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in2016 and 2020. However, not every country can produce Ga-68 PSMA and Ga-68Dotatate, Cảnh said.

In Vietnam, if people need a PET/CT scan using these two drugs, they have to goabroad to do this.

After a long period of research, exchanging expertise, and preparing humanresources for study, the doctor said on November 7, the Department of NuclearMedicine successfully mixed and brought the two medicines into use.

“This is also the first unit in Vietnam to produce these tworadioactive drugs successfully,” he said.

After nearly a month of application, Cho Ray Hospital hasconducted PET/CT scanning using Ga-68 PSMA for 12 cases of prostate cancer andPET/CT scanning with Ga-68 Dotatate for nine neuroendocrine tumours.

“Since 2009, Cho Ray Hospital has performed PET/CT imaging with the drug F-18FDG to evaluate glucose metabolism in many types of cancer. However, prostatecancer and neuroendocrine tumour cells rarely use glucose, so the diagnosticresults are not high,” Canh said.

“Meanwhile, using Ga-68 PSMA and Ga-68 Dotatate in PET/CT imaging will providemore accurate diagnostic results, helping clinicians to diagnose better, stage,choose treatment methods and monitor results,” the doctor said.

The successful production of Ga-68 PSMA and Ga-68 Dotatate has brought manyopportunities to patients, helping them access advanced technical methods inthe world, improving the quality of medical examination and treatment, andreducing costs for patients, he emphasised.

The PET/CT technique is a high-tech and potential imaging diagnostic systemthat offers many advantages in diagnosing, monitoring, and treating diseasessuch as cancer and neurological and cardiovascular disorders.

This technique has been applied at Cho Ray Hospital since 2009, with an averageof 12-15 cases of PET/CT scanning per day./.
VNA
#Ho Chi Minh City #Cho Ray Hospital #radioactive drugs #prostate cancer #neuroendocrine tumors #Vietnam #Vietnamplus #Vietnam News Agency
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