Nuclear Medicine is defined as the science of imaging and therapy at the molecular level, using radioactive sources in liquid, solid or gaseous form. Thanks to the applications carried out in the Nuclear Medicine Department, advanced diagnosis and treatment of diseases is possible. A multidisciplinary approach is used in the treatment of many diseases, from heart diseases to kidney diseases, from orthopedic problems to thyroid and hormone diseases.

• Urooncology Diseases and Treatments

  1. Prostate cancer treatment method:

  • Prostate needle biopsy: Male patients are screened annually for prostate cancer, the occurrence of which increases after the age of 40, using digital rectal examination (DRE) and blood prostate specific antigen (PSA) level measurements. Patients with suspicious examination findings and/or PSA values are subject to multiple prostate needle biopsy under general anesthesia in the Same Day Surgery service (SDS).
  • Robotic Radical Prostatectomy: Patients diagnosed with prostate cancer as a result of pathologic examinations are treated by Robotic Radical Prostatectomy operation.
  • Open surgery: Open surgery can be used in patients who are not suitable for robotic surgery.
  • Hormone therapy (HT) and Radiation Therapy (RT): Hormone therapy (HT) and radiation therapy (RT) lead to successful results in patients with locally advanced prostate cancer or who are not suitable for surgery.
  • Other therapies: In widespread metastatic disease, surgical orchidectomy (removal of testicles) or medical (hormone therapy) castration and chemotherapy are used.

  2. Bladder cancer:

  In this type of cancer which is known to be closely related to smoking, the first sign is mostly urinary bleeding. Most of the bladder cancers are diagnosed at the early stage, and are inclined to reoccur frequently and to advance if not treated. In patients who apply with urinary bleeding, the urinary bladder is examined for tumor using cystoscopy.

  Treatment method:

  • Transurethral Resection for Bladder Tumor (TUR-MB): If a tumor is detected, transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TUR-BT) is performed using endoscopy.
  • Chemotherapy: To prevent superficial bladder tumors, one-time chemotherapy drugs may be administered into the bladder as a complementary treatment.
  • Cystoscopy. According to pathology results, patients with tumors limited to the surface are checked once every 3 months using cystoscopy.
  • Radical Cystectomy: If muscle invasive carcinoma of the bladder is detected as a result of pathologic examinations, it may be necessary to remove the pelvic lymph nodes and to make a new bladder from the small intestine. Known as Radical Cystectomy, this operation can be performed using robotic or open surgery.
  • Other therapies: Patients who are not suitable for surgery should be treated with a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy (RT -CT). In case of widespread metastatic disease, chemotherapy is used after cystectomy.

  3. Testicular Tumors:

  Testicular tumors are important as they may be seen in young males at reproductive age and can be treated at high rates with appropriate life-saving therapies.

  Treatment method:

  • Inguinal orchiectomy: In case tumor is suspected in patients with a testicular mass, surgery is planned immediately, and the testis with a tumor is immediately removed using inguinal orchiectomy. Thereafter the whole body is scanned with computed tomography (CT). In treatment follow-up, BHCG, AFP and LDH serum levels are used as tumor markers. As testicular tumors exhibit different behaviours according to their pathologic structures, monitoring and treatment approaches are determined accordingly.
  • Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection (RPLND): In patients with lymph node metastasis around the aorta and vena cava in the retroperitoneal space, these tumor tissues are removed completely by Lymph Node Dissection (RPLND).
  • Other therapies: According to pathologic examination results, the patients may have to take additional chemotherapy (CT) and radiotherapy (RT).

  4. Kidney cancer

  5. Adrenal gland tumors

  6. Retroperitoneal tumors