Introduction to Nuclear Medicine

Introduction

What is molecular imaging and how does it help people with cancer?

Molecular imaging is a type of medical imaging that provides detailed pictures of what is happening inside the body at the molecular and cellular level.

Molecular imaging offers unique insights into the human body that enable physicians to personalize patient care. In terms of diagnosis, molecular imaging is able to:

• Provide information that is unattainable with other imaging technologies or that would direct to more invasive procedures such as biopsy or surgery
• Identify disease in its earliest stages and determine the exact location of a tumor, often before symptoms occur or abnormalities can be detected with other diagnostic tests

As a tool for evaluating and managing the care of patients, molecular imaging studies help physicians:

• determine the extent or severity of the disease, including whether it has spread elsewhere in the body
• select the most effective therapy based on the unique biologic characteristics of the patient and the molecular properties of a tumor or other disease
• accurately assess the effectiveness of a treatment regimen
• adapt treatment plans quickly in response to changes in cellular activity
• assess disease progression
• identify recurrence of disease and help manage ongoing care

Read more information at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging website.

Molecular Imaging at McGovern Medical School