Nuclear Medicine

The Department of Nuclear Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University began in 1958. It was established in Chongqing after being relocated from the former Shanghai Medical College (now an affiliated hospital of Fudan University), marking the beginning of nuclear medicine in Chongqing and making it one of the earliest nuclear medicine departments established in China. In 1989, our department introduced Chongqing’s first gamma camera, laying the foundation for the development of nuclear medicine. In 2003, our department introduced SPECT, and in 2008 it was upgraded to SPECT/CT, further improving diagnostic accuracy and image visualization. In 2011, our department introduced a third-generation time-of-flight (TOF) technology PET/CT and a cyclotron, marking the entry of nuclear medicine at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University into a new era of molecular imaging diagnosis. In 2020, our department was approved to introduce the cutting-edge PET/MR medical imaging system, which can more effectively support the diagnosis of difficult cases and early disease diagnosis and provide a solid foundation for precision treatment. After more than 60 years of development, the Department of Nuclear Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University now possesses high-end molecular imaging equipment including SPECT/CT, PET/CT and PET/MR. It is a distinctive specialty with comprehensive subspecialties, integrating imaging diagnosis, radionuclide therapy, specialized outpatient services and laboratory work. It is a National Key Clinical Specialty, a member of the Sichuan–Chongqing Nuclear Medicine Medical Quality Control Alliance, the Chongqing Nuclear Medicine Quality Control Center, the Chongqing Nuclear Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment Center, an authorized institution for doctoral and master’s degrees in nuclear medicine, and a national standardized residency training base for nuclear medicine. It has Chongqing academic and technical leaders in nuclear medicine, reserve candidates, Chongqing Talent · Innovation Leading Talents and other provincial- and ministerial-level talents. Its overall comprehensive strength ranks among the top in Chongqing, and it ranks first in Chongqing in the Fudan specialty reputation ranking.

Department personnel: The Department of Nuclear Medicine currently has 40 medical, nursing and technical staff members, including 2 with senior professional titles, 6 with associate senior professional titles, 10 with intermediate professional titles, 4 postdoctoral fellows, 6 doctoral degree holders, 9 master’s degree holders and 13 bachelor’s degree holders. There is 1 doctoral supervisor, 4 master’s supervisors, 1 Chongqing Talent · Innovation Leading Talent, 1 Chongqing academic and technical leader in nuclear medicine, and 1 reserve candidate for Chongqing academic and technical leader in nuclear medicine.

Technical development: Our outpatient services have been provided for nearly 50 years. The department has reached a certain scale and enjoys a certain reputation in Southwest China, providing professional outpatient diagnosis, treatment and follow-up for patients with thyroid diseases. It has 16 beds in a specialized radionuclide therapy ward, making it one of the few nuclear medicine wards in China of this scale. Radionuclide therapy for thyroid cancer has become a distinctive service; nearly 1000 patient-visits for radionuclide treatment of thyroid cancer are provided annually, achieving excellent therapeutic results and gaining recognition from clinicians and the general patient population. The department is equipped with high-end devices including a third-generation TOF technology PET/CT, a cyclotron and SPECT/CT. In 2020, it was approved to introduce PET/MR, further strengthening the hospital’s high-end oncology examinations. Image-fusion technology is used to fully exploit the advantages of the functional examinations provided by SPECT and PET and the morphological examinations provided by CT and MR, greatly improving the level of imaging diagnosis. In 2019, our department was approved for Chongqing’s first Class IV certificate for radiopharmaceuticals for a medical institution, greatly promoting precision diagnosis and treatment in the department. The department also carries out radionuclide therapy for multiple bone metastases, tumor 125I particle implantation therapy, radionuclide therapy for skin scars and other procedures, relieving patients’ suffering and improving their quality of life.

Teaching and research: Our department undertakes the nuclear medicine teaching of enrolled students at the Clinical College of Chongqing Medical University, including large-scale nuclear medicine theory lectures, teaching demonstrations and internships for multiple levels such as the clinical 5+3 program, clinical undergraduates, international students and imaging technology students. It undertakes standardized residency training in nuclear medicine and further-training programs for nuclear medicine physicians from primary-level hospitals. In addition, our department undertakes projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, research projects of the Chongqing Science and Technology Commission and the Health Bureau, and many other activities. To date, the department has received approval for 2 National Natural Science Foundation of China projects, 16 provincial-, ministerial-, department- and bureau-level achievement awards, and 12 university- and hospital-level projects. It has published a total of 116 papers, including 73 SCI papers, and the number of SCI papers published has increased steadily in recent years.

Projects offered by the Department of Nuclear Medicine: 1. PET/CT, PET/MR: Our department has conducted 18F-FDG PET/CT tumor imaging for more than 10 years and has accumulated extensive experience in the early diagnosis, staging, restaging, efficacy evaluation and prognosis prediction of tumors. In recent years, we have also introduced the cutting-edge PET/MR imaging system, which can better support the diagnosis of difficult cases and lay a foundation for precision treatment. At the same time, our department holds a Class IV certificate for radiopharmaceuticals and can independently produce more than 20 types of positron imaging agents. To meet clinical and research needs, we also conduct 68Ga-FAPI novel broad-spectrum tumor imaging, 68Ga-PSMA prostate tumor imaging, 68Ga-CXCR4 imaging for primary aldosteronism and hematologic diseases, 68Ga-DOTATATE neuroendocrine tumor imaging, 18F-FES estrogen receptor imaging for breast cancer, 18F-FCH parathyroid imaging, 18F-Aβ amyloid protein deposition imaging, 18F-tau protein imaging, 11C-CFT dopamine receptor imaging and other projects. These cutting-edge technologies provide effective support for tumor diagnosis and functional imaging of other systems. 2. SPECT/CT: Our department currently performs bone imaging, sentinel lymph node imaging, myocardial blood-flow perfusion imaging, pulmonary ventilation/perfusion imaging, thyroid imaging, salivary gland imaging, renal GFR imaging, adrenal medulla imaging, orbital imaging, ectopic gastric mucosa imaging and other examinations. In 2023, we began performing radionuclide imaging of myocardial amyloidosis, providing a pathway for the early diagnosis of patients with myocardial amyloidosis. 3. Radionuclide therapy: Our department’s radionuclide therapy covers multiple areas, including 131I treatment of residual and metastatic lesions of differentiated thyroid cancer, 131I treatment of hyperthyroidism, radioactive particle (125I particle) implantation therapy, 89Sr radionuclide therapy for metastatic bone pain caused by various tumors, and 32P radionuclide therapy for skin scars.