22nd September 2020
We are proud to support patients with specialist Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) scans of the prostate. These specialist scans enable a timely and accurate diagnosis, helping to improve patient outcomes.
Men with suspected cancer are offered a blood test initially to check for raised prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels. If these are raised, Cobalt is one of the centres in the UK that provides multi-parametric MRI scans which produce detailed images of the prostate enabling better detection for suspected cancer. This gold standard test can reduce the time taken to accurately identify the cancer and enable a focused biopsy to be performed if required.
Cobalt was also the first imaging centre in the UK to provide F18 prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT scans of the prostate. The PSMA scan is helpful in diagnosing a recurrence of prostate cancer and has been shown to help in the diagnosis of new cases of prostate cancer.
Symptoms of prostate cancer do not usually appear until the prostate is large enough to affect the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the penis (urethra). When this happens, you may notice things like an increased need to pee, straining while you pee and a feeling that your bladder has not fully emptied. These symptoms should not be ignored, but they do not mean you have prostate cancer. It’s more likely they’re caused by something else, such as prostate enlargement*
To find out more about diagnostic scans at Cobalt visit https://www.cobalthealth.co.uk/patients/patient-diagnostic-scans/
*source NHS website