SHARJAH, 7th September, 2026 (WAM) — Burjeel Specialty Hospital, part of Burjeel Holdings, has launched Sharjah’s first PET/CT service, expanding access to advanced cancer diagnostics and treatment planning within the emirate.
The service forms part of the hospital’s Nuclear Medicine Department and is integrated with Burjeel Cancer Institute (BCI), connecting molecular imaging with multidisciplinary oncology expertise across diagnosis, staging, treatment planning and follow-up.
The inauguration was attended by Sheikh Faisal Khalid Sultan Al Qasimi; Dr. Ahmad Tahlak, General Director of Tarahum Charity Foundation; Mohammad Al Mulla, Deputy Director-General of the foundation; Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, Chairman and CEO of Burjeel Holdings; Abdul Wahab Al Halabi, Non-Executive Director of Burjeel Holdings; and Aisha Al Mulla, Director of the Friends of Cancer Patients Society.
The department’s GE Discovery IQ PET/CT system supports cancer diagnosis and staging, assessment of treatment response and detection of recurrence. Its high-sensitivity detectors enable faster scans, while lower-dose imaging reduces radiation exposure. Q-Clear reconstruction enhances image quality and quantitative accuracy.
The service allows patients to undergo molecular imaging without travelling to another emirate, with results reviewed by the wider oncology team to support coordinated treatment decisions. The facility operates in line with FANR requirements and internationally recognised radiation safety standards.
Dr. Firuz Ibrahim, Head of the Nuclear Medicine Department at Burjeel Specialty Hospital, Sharjah, said, “With this capability now available in Sharjah, we can support timely diagnosis, accurate staging and treatment-response assessment while keeping patient safety and comfort at the centre of care.”
The department offers 18F FDG PET/CT for staging and treatment-response assessment across many cancers, PSMA PET/CT for prostate cancer and DOTA-peptide PET/CT for neuroendocrine tumours. Specialised tracers also support the evaluation of other cancers, parathyroid adenoma and cognitive impairment.
The Sharjah team will collaborate with BCI’s Nuclear Medicine team in Abu Dhabi to provide access to targeted radionuclide therapies. These include radioactive iodine therapy for thyroid cancer, peptide receptor radionuclide therapy for neuroendocrine tumours, Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy for advanced prostate cancer and selective internal radiation therapy for liver cancer and liver metastases.
Prof. Dr. Humaid Al Shamsi, Chief Executive Officer of BCI, said, “PET/CT is an important tool throughout the cancer journey, from diagnosis and staging to treatment planning, response assessment, and detecting recurrence.”
He added that combining molecular imaging with multidisciplinary expertise would help inform personalised treatment plans.
The Nuclear Medicine team works with BCI specialists across oncology disciplines, with diagnostic and therapeutic services guided by NCCN clinical guidelines and SNMMI/EANM imaging standards.
Source: Emirates News Agency
