The Department of Nuclear Medicine at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC), Lahore is one of the most technologically advanced department in the country and the region; delivering comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic applications of this unique specialty, which employs minute amounts of radioactive material called radiopharmaceuticals to study the function of body systems and organs. These state-of-the-art services are provided by nuclear physicians backed by a team of medical physicists, radiochemists, radiopharmacists, cyclotron engineers, technologists and nurses.
All departmental workings are governed by stringent international (International Atomic Energy Agency) and national (Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority) regulations and our team of highly qualified consultants ensure compliance with the standards set for the safe and appropriate use of radiopharmaceuticals in medicine.
The Department of Nuclear Medicine at SKMCH&RC offers a large diversity of diagnostic and therapeutic services, which play a central role in patient management. To provide the diagnostic services, the Department of Nuclear Medicine is equipped with:
Portable Molybdenum-Technetium generators are the primary source of radio-active material. These are sourced from three different internationally licensed vendors, to ensure quality as well as constant availability.
Radiopharmacy at SKMCH&RC, Lahore qualifies as Level-3C defined by IAEA.
It is equipped with state-of-the-art cGMP compliant synthesis and dispensing equipment. It houses intricate lead shielded Lemmarpax Isolators, conventional radiopharmacy and related USP compliant Quality Control equipment. Radiopharmacy synthesises complex radiopharmaceuticals 18F-FDG with on-site cyclotron and Ga68 radiopeptides with latest equipment in a sterile and aseptic environment. We not only fulfil our requirement at our facilities in Lahore and Peshawar, but we also provide PET radiopharmaceuticals to other institutes in Lahore, as and when needed. Images are processed and analysed on dedicated work stations and archived on the Picture Archiving Communications System (PACS), making SKMCH&RC a filmless digital setup. These images are accessible from dedicated systems in the hospital, which are password protected. Radioactive iodine is the treatment for overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) and certain types of thyroid cancer. We, at SKMCH&RC, Lahore, have consultant led clinics and facility for in-patient admission of these patients after high dose therapy. We offer palliative treatment for metastatic bone pain with Sr-89 and Sm-153. Bone seeking radiopharmaceuticals are an effective modality in patients with metastatic cancer.
Oncology (cancer staging and follow-up), Neurology, Fever of unknown origin
PET-CT, Radioactive iodine (thyroid cancer), Gallium-67 (lymphoma, infection), MIBG (neuroendocrine tumour), Octreotide (somatostatin receptor studies), Sentinel lymph node
Myocardial perfusion studies, MUGA, FDG PET
Dynamic renal imaging (DTPA, MAG3), DMSA, Captopril studies, Nuclear cystography, Testicular imaging
Bone scan, Bone Marrow colloid scans
Gastric emptying, GI Bleed, Meckel’s Scan
HIDA, Liver-Spleen colloid imaging
V/Q scans for pulmonary embolism / function assessment
Thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal imaging
Gallium, FDG, Bone scan
Brain FDG PET-CT
DXA scan
Radioactive iodine (I131) therapy for benign and malignant thyroid disease
Palliative treatment for metastatic bone pain with Sr-89 or Sm153
Thyroid cancer clinics / Thyroid multidisciplinary tumour board /clinics
The Department of Nuclear Medicine has commitment to education and research. We are affiliated with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan (CPSP) for a 4-year training in FCPS Nuclear Medicine. Currently, the department has 6 positions for FCPS-II trainees. Additionally, we offer two positions for 1-year fellowship in PET-CT and Nuclear medicine for post-FCPS candidates. We also host visiting MSc. in Nuclear Medicine fellows from Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) in Islamabad. Former trainees from our department have been awarded fellowships in UK and USA.
Elective opportunities are available for medical students in the department of Nuclear Medicine.
Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centres
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To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.
This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
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Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:
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Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to