The nuclear medicine department of the Institut Jules Bordet offers patients diagnostic tests of the functional or molecular type, as well as treatments with targeted molecular radiotherapy.
The diagnostic tests differ from those carried out in the Radiology Department in that they involve the intravenous administration of substances labelled with radioactive isotopes, which specifically make it possible to identify the functionality or characteristic of an organ or of the cancer.
Therapeutic applications in nuclear medicine (often called “molecular radiotherapy”) use the same type of substance (tracer) specifically targeting the cancer tissue, but this substance is labelled with radioactive isotopes which emit therapeutic particles of the beta or alpha type enabling the destruction of the diseased cells.
The Department of Nuclear Medicine has 3 units:
1) Conventional nuclear medicine
This unit offers all the usual non-PET examinations, using either gamma-emitting radionuclides, or substances labelled using gamma-emitting radioelements. In 2016, the Department of Nuclear Medicine carried out 3500 “conventional” nuclear medicine examinations.
The Department is equipped with a classical (2-headed) gamma camera and a latest generation hybrid SPECT-CT camera. The latter combines a gamma ray detector (2 heads) with a helicoidal CT scanner. This technology makes it possible to obtain a complete evaluation of the functional and anatomical/morphological characteristics of the disease.
2) The PET-CT unit
Since June 2001, the Institut Jules Bordet has had a positron emission tomography (PET) centre. This centre was opened as part of a collaboration with other public hospitals in Brussels, within the IRIS hospital network. It is one of the 20 PET centres recognised by royal decree in Belgium. In 2016, this unit carried out 6000 PET-CT scans using different types of tracer.
3) Molecular radiotherapy
The Jules Bordet Institute is a reference centre for radionuclide therapy, historically with the treatment of thyroid cancer by iodine-131 and MIBG for neuroblastoma. Recent years have seen the development of several new treatments in the field of nuclear medicine, in particular for patients with neuroendocrine tumours (PRRT: protein receptor radio therapy) and prostate cancer metastasis and recurrence (PRLT: PSMA targeted radioligand therapy).
The treatments available at the Institut Jules Bordet:
- Lu177-octreotate (PRRT, for metastatic neuroendocrine tumours)
- Lu177-PSMA ligand (PRLT, for a multimetastatic recurrence of prostate cancer)
- Y90-microspheres (radioembolization of primary liver tumours or liver metastases)
- Xofigo (Radium-223) for bone metastases of prostate origin
- Iode-131 (thyroid cancer)
- MIBG (neuroblastoma)
- Y90-Zevalin (CD20-positive lymphoma)
The Department of Nuclear Medicine is a training unit recognised for the training of doctors specialising in nuclear medicine (complete training programme).
Each year, it welcomes 1 or 2 young doctors training in nuclear medicine, as well as students on a masters in medicine course (1 or 2 per month). It organises regular seminars recognised to be part of in-service training of specialist doctors.
The Department also welcomes trainees training to be medical technologists.
The Department of Nuclear Medicine of the Institut Jules Bordet is the only service of the ULB network which provides systemic radionuclide cancer treatments (thyroid and neuroendocrine cancers). It has therefore become a national and international reference centre for specific training in “theranostics” and molecular radiotherapy.
Research projects
Project 1
Somatostatin receptors imaging in relapsing and refractory multiple myeloma patients.
- Project leader(s): Wendy Delbart, Zéna Wimana, Marie Vercruyssen (Hematology), Nathalie Meuleman (Hematology), Patrick Flamen
- Financing/Support : «Association Jules Bordet»
Project 2
MOLECULAR BIOMARKERS IN METASTATIC CASTRATE RESISTANT PROSTATE CANCER: PSMA EXPRESSION, METABOLIC ACTIVITY, AND CIRCULATING CELL-FREE DNA.
- Project leader(s): Carlos Artigas, Patrick Flamen
- Financing/Support : FCC (Fondation Contre le Cancer)
Project 3
Molecular imaging of the tumor microenvironment
- Project leaders : Ivan Duran Derijckere, Ester Vicastillo Paredes
- Financing/Support: FCC (Fondation Contre le Cancer), «Association Jules Bordet»
Project 4
Lutetium-177 dosimetry as a predictive biomarker of response in metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer patients treated with psma radioligand therapy. the ludopath trial
- Project leaders : Carlos Artigas, Patrick Flamen
- Financing/Support : «Association Jules Bordet»
Project 5
USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN NUCLEAR MEDECINE
- Project leaders : Erwin Woff, Hugo Levillain
- Financing/Support : «Association Jules Bordet»
Project 6
Etude pilote d’imagerie PSMA-PET/CT en vue d’explorer la possibilité d’une thérapie basée sur le PSMA comme future option thérapeutique chez les patientes atteintes d’un cancer du sein métastatique triple négatif.
- Project leader(s) : Géraldine Gebhart , Zena Wimana
- Financing/Support : «Association Jules Bordet»
Project 7
Evaluation préopératoire de la carcinomatose péritonéale par la moyen d’un FAPI-PET/CT.
- Project leader(s) : Patrick Flamen , Gabriel Libérale
Our team
Head of Department
- Prof Patrick Flamen
The team
- Dr Géraldine Gebhart, Head of Clinic
- Dr Carlos Artigas, Assistant Head of Clinic
- Dr Ioannis Karfis, Assistant Head of Clinic
- Dr Elçin Özalp, Assistant Head of Clinic
- Dr Erwin Woff, Assistant Head of Clinic
- Dr Anne-Leen Deleu, Resident
- Dr Isabel Marin Melero, Resident
Radiophysicists (Department of Radiophysics)
- Bruno Vanderlinden, Radiophysicist
- Clémentine Marin, Radiophysicist
- Gwennaëlle Marin, Radiophysicist
Physics control
- Marie Christiane Yimo-Wadje
- Théo Moschidis
Radiopharmacy
- Prof. Zéna Wimana, Manager Radiopharmacy
- Prof. Ghanem Ghanem
- Adriana De Matos, Operator Radiopharmacy
- Kadidja Ouldadda, Operator Radiopharmacy
- Sigrid Vercauteren, Radiopharmacist
Coordination of radionuclide treatments
- Marie-Noëlle Gheeraert
- Pauwel Thijs
Research Unit
- Prof. Zéna Wimana, Radiopharmacy/pre-clinical imaging
- Wendy Delbart, PhD Student/Research Assistant/ Biomedical Sciences, ULB
- Loubna Taraji Schiltz, Clinical Study Coordinator
- Magdalena Mileva, MD, PhD Student/ Biomedical Sciences, ULB
- Qaid Shagera, MD, PhD Student/ Biomedical Sciences, ULB
- Ester Vicastillo Paredes, PhD Student/ Biomedical Sciences, ULB
- Gabriela Critchi, Research Assistant
Technologists
- Sara Coelho, Head of Technologists
Secretaries
- Jessie Toussaint
- Anandi Henriet
- Alyssa Hammouda (PET-scan/Isotopes)
- Naïma Chadya (PET-scan/Isotopes)
16/12/2022
Scientific publications
[18F]FDG and [18F]FES PET/CT Imaging as a Biomarker for Therapy Effect in Patients with Metastatic ER+ Breast Cancer Undergoing Treatment with Rintodestrant.
Authors : Iqbal R, Yaqub M, Bektas HO, Oprea-Lager DE, de Vries EGE, Glaudemans AWJM, Aftimos P, Gebhart G, Beelen AP, Schuit RC, Windhorst AD, Boellaard R, Menke-van der Houven van Oordt CW
Year : 2023
Journal : Clin Cancer Res
Lymphatic Alterations Under Tattoos: Preliminary Reports of One Observational Study.
Authors : Bourgeois P, Roman MM, Schweicher J, Lavoisier P, Maquet P, Karler C, Lizewski M, Fouarge A, Cuylits N, Del Marmol V, Leduc O
Year : 2023
Journal : Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol
Volume : 16
Pages : 257-265
PIK3CA copy number gain and inhibitors of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in triple-negative breast cancer.
Authors : Amato O, Buisseret L, Gebhart G, Plouznikoff N, Larsimont D, Awada A, Piccart M, Aftimos P
Year : 2023
Journal : Cold Spring Harb Mol Case Stud
Lymphoscintigraphic Investigations for Axillary Web Syndromes.
Authors : Roman MM, Barbieux R, Eddy C, Karler C, Veys I, Zeltzer A, Adriaenssens N, Leduc O, Bourgeois P
Year : 2022
Journal : Lymphat Res Biol
Volume : 20
Pages : 417-424
(68)Ga-PSMA PET/CT for Response Assessment and Outcome Prediction in Metastatic Prostate Cancer Patients Treated with Taxane-Based Chemotherapy.
Authors : Shagera QA, Artigas C, Karfis I, Critchi G, Chanza NM, Sideris S, Peltier A, Paesmans M, Gil T, Flamen P
Year : 2022
Journal : J Nucl Med
Volume : 63
Pages : 1191-1198