OREANDA-NEWS. December 1, 2008. By 2011 Russia is planning to set up 10 positron tomography centers, the advisor for nuclear medicine of the director general of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation Dmitry Mansurov said during a meeting of the Public Chamber concerning the prospects of development of nuclear medicine in Russia.

In the next five-eight years Russia will set up 10–15 positron tomography centers. In general, the country needs 70–80 such centers. Today, Russia has just four centers: two in St.Petersburg and two in Moscow. For the moment the positron tomography method is the most advanced technology in nuclear energy.

It is based on the use of medicines containing short-lived radio-nuclides. The latter allow scanning the movement of biological active compounds in organism and detecting cardiac problems and cancer at early stages with no heavy radioactive loads on patients. As much as 70% of people having cancer and heart problems die and this figure is expected to grow. The positron tomography method can help to significantly prolong the lives of the Russians.