The KHCC's Department of Nuclear Medicine is a regional pioneer in providing advanced diagnostic and therapeutic services for cancer patients using nuclear, molecular, and biological technologies. Our vision is to support precision medicine in Jordan and the region through molecular radionuclide diagnosis and therapy. The European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM/EARL) has endorsed and accredited the Department as a center of excellence, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has designated it as an international training center (IAEA).
Nuclear medicine contributes to tumor treatment by delivering high doses of biologically targeted radionuclide substances at the molecular level (for example, differentiated thyroid cancer with radioactive iodine, as well as radioligand targeted therapies for prostate cancer, neuroendocrine cancers NET, bone metastases, and neuroblastoma).
KHCC’s Department of Nuclear Medicine is equipped with cutting-edge nuclear medicine technologies (PET/CT & SPECT / CT & Automated Radiosynthesis unit). In nuclear medicine, a small amount of safe and painless radiopharmaceuticals is used to precisely evaluate and treat malignant lesions, as well as to provide proper assessment of the disease's and organs' physiologic and biologic status. Because of the high quality of these scans, oncologists can precisely stage and re-stage patients, evaluate treatment response, and design management plans. Nuclear medicine imaging procedures typically detect changes in the early stages of cancer, a significant period of time before other diagnostic tests detect these issues.
The Department is one of the busiest in the region, performing over 12,000 nuclear medicine examinations and treatments for oncology patients each year. Our physicians are certified by the Jordanian Board of Nuclear Medicine, the European Board of Nuclear Medicine, the American Certification Board of Nuclear Cardiology, and the Asian Nuclear Medicine Board. Furthermore, the department's consultants have completed advanced fellowships in nuclear oncology and PET/CT in Germany and the United States.
The Department has received both local and international accreditations, and it was the first center in the region to be accredited by the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) for excellence in PET/CT scan quality (EARL). It is accredited by the Joint Commission International and has also been accredited locally. Furthermore, the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) has granted the department permission to possess and use radioactive materials.
The department has made numerous achievements in the field of nuclear oncology and PET/CT across the region by obtaining grants from non-profit international organizations such as EORTC and IAEA to conduct high-quality research in tumor diagnosis and treatment. Several research projects are underway, with results being published in reputable and peer-reviewed international journals. Many international conferences and workshops on advances in nuclear medicine and oncology have been organized and hosted by our department.
In terms of training, the Jordanian Medical Council has recognized the department for its residency program in nuclear medicine, which qualifies for the Jordanian Board of Nuclear Medicine. In addition, the department offers advanced fellowship programs in nuclear oncology and PET/CT. Every year, the department welcomes a significant number of visiting doctors, physicists, and technicians from various countries for training on the most recent methods of diagnosis and treatment in nuclear medicine.
For both inpatients and outpatients, we offer the following diagnostic and therapeutic services:
- PET/CT: F18 FDG PET/CT scan used primarily for oncology indications.
- PET/CT with Ga68 DOTATOC for neuroendocrine tumors and Ga68 PSMA for prostate cancer.
- Diagnostic procedures using a Gamma camera and SPECT/CT: SPECT / CT hybrid imaging that integrates imaging methods to form a new technology, as imaging techniques (functional images and anatomical images) are combined to provide the most accurate image details and accurately locate tumors.
- Radioisotope analysis using a Gamma camera / nuclear imaging (over 60 different procedures examining most organs in the body).
- SPECT using a gamma camera.
- DEXA scan to determine bone mineral density (diagnosis and follow up of Osteoporosis and Osteopenia).
- Radionuclide therapy is the use of radioactive iodine to treat benign and malignant thyroid tumors.
- As a palliative treatment for bone metastasis, radionuclide therapy of bone pain is used.
- MIBG-I131 radioactive treatment for neuroblastoma and suprarenal masses.
- Lu177 DOTATAE peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) treatment for neuroendocrine tumors.
- PSMA-targeted Radioligand Therapy (PRLT) for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
- Actinium 225 PSMA is used to treat metastatic prostate cancer.
2022 Department Statistics
In 2022, more than 13,140 nuclear medicine procedures, including PET/CT, SPECT/CT, Gamma camera, targeted radionuclide therapies, and DEXA scans, were performed.
Department Faculty
Chairman & Consultant, Dr. Akram Al-Ibraheem MD, FEBNM, DCBNC, FANMB
Consultant, Dr. Khaled Alkhawaldeh MD, FEBNM, DCBNC.
Consultant, Dr. Nabila Al Hajjaj
Consultant, Dr. Ula Al-Rasheed