Dr David Wong spoke to us on PSMA (Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen), Gallium-68 scan

[Administrator]

Thanks to Bruce Kynaston for these notes on the phone-in meeting of 28 April 2015:

 

Person #1 discussed his PSA status and his current therapy, including having a PSMA (Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen), Gallium-68 scan. 

 

You, Jim, spoke of your 3-4 pm meeting with the Senate Inquiry. You told that instead of taking 5 minutes for an opening statement, you chose the ploy of indicating the questions you hoped they might ask. (This in my opinion was a great ploy, as well after lunch and mid afternoon, the Senators could well have been lagging, so making it easier for them in not having to ask less relevant questions was valuable.)

You were able to tell them what you needed to say. Well done!

 

Dr David Wong was welcomed and he spoke about the PSMA scanning technique and of its value in  PCa cases both:

• early (to exclude tiny metastases, and so avoid aggressive care as prostatectomy), and 
• later when it seemed apparent that cancer was present because PSA levels rose.

 

PSMA(Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen) is present in small quantities in the normal prostate, but malignant cells have a higher metabolism, and higher grade (bigger Gleason score deposits) even more so.

This technique was more sensitive than the usual bone scan as it could detect a smaller focus.

 

There was an interval of 45 minutes between the injection of the radioactive tracer and the scanning procedure.

 

Waiting time at Wesley for the PSMA is of the order of a week, at most.

 

It was reported that Royal North Shore Hosp. one at Bankstown and Nepean Public Hosp. in Sydney did PSMA studies but a wait time was of some 6 weeks.

Dr Wong answered many questions, and he spoke in our language, not medical lingo..

...

 

Dr Wong was obviously a very careful, knowledgeable and discerning diagnostician. He welcomed visitors to come to see the facility at the Wesley Hospital.

[Geoff H]

There is also a Ga68 PSMA PET scan at St Vincents in Sydney. However the wait time is also 6 weeks and it costs $750.