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A new Sydney facility offering cutting-edge veterinary nuclear medicine has set the gold standard for cancer diagnosis and therapy. By Frank Leggett
The use of positron emission tomography (PET), a new field in veterinary health, offers comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic benefits, particularly for cancer patients. PET Theranostics, located in the Sydney suburb of Concord, opened its doors in February this year as Australia’s first and only dedicated PET-CT diagnostic imaging service for pets. It was co-founded by Associate Professor Max Zuber and Dr David Lurie.
“At PET Theranostics, we’re using radioisotopes for diagnostic purposes, but also for therapy,” A/Prof Zuber says. “Positron emission tomography uses cyclotron-produced isotopes that only last for very short periods of time. We have a CT camera on a gantry and then a second gantry with a camera that detects radiation produced by the radioisotopes.”
The CT scan provides anatomic definition while the PET scan shows radiation build-up in the body. The two images are digitally fused so the anatomy is clearly defined while showing a real measure of the metabolism of cells throughout the body.
“The rates of metabolic activity are accurate indications of cancer,” A/Prof Zuber says. “Less active is also important in showing the success of a treatment. After a dog has had radiation therapy for brain cancer, we want to find out if the cancer has been totally eliminated or whether it’s still present. If the scan shows the area of the cancer with a very low uptake, the inference is that it’s just scar tissue. There’s no cancer left.”
Side effects
A common worry from clients with pets undergoing a PET scan is whether there will be any side effects from the radiation.
“The amount of radiation they get from the PET component and the radiation injected into them is less than they get from just a CT scan,” A/Prof Zuber says. “It’s considered a mild diagnostic dose that should not create any risk of side effects.”
PET Theranostics also offers therapy in addition to diagnostics. In human medicine, radioisotopes are commonly used in prostate disease and for treating metastatic cancer in bones. The isotopes travel through the body and seek out where they are needed.
“While this type of imaging and therapy is mainly used for oncology cases, it’s also used in humans in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, cardiac disease and other inflammatory diseases,” A/Prof Zuber says. “It’s sometimes used with athletes to look at their muscles as it picks up activity and inflammation. All of these uses can be translated to the veterinary world.”
New technology
A/Prof Zuber has a long association with nuclear medicine. In the 1980s, he pioneered the use of radioactive iodine in feline thyroid disease. In the 1990s, he established the Southern Hemisphere’s first nuclear medicine facility for companion animals. With over 50 years of experience as a veterinary surgeon and specialist, he’s an AM (Member of the Order of Australia) for significant service to veterinary science, to professional colleges and to education.
Bringing PET for animals to Australia has been a long-time goal of A/Prof Zuber. He first attempted to import a PET scanner back in 2013 but problems with finances and lack of technical help saw the project fail.
The rates of metabolic activity are accurate indications of cancer. After a dog has had radiation therapy for brain cancer, we want to find out if the cancer has been totally eliminated or whether it’s still present. If the scan shows the area of the cancer with a very low uptake, the inference is that it’s just scar tissue. There’s no cancer left.
Associate Professor Max Zuber, co-founder, PET Theranostics
This time he enlisted the help of medicos, nuclear medicine technologists, radiation physicists and vets to make it work. The camera was purchased in January 2025 but wasn’t installed until February this year.
“Very specialised technicians and installers are required to set the system up correctly,” A/Prof Zuber says. “We flew out an Ecuadorean installer for the initial set-up. To help with our initial interpretations, we are using radiologists with experience in PET from the University of Colorado. Tapping into their knowledge and using human nuclear medicine physicians is a huge help.”
Unlimited potential
While PET is in its infancy in animal health, looking at results with PET in human medicine gives a strong indication of what’s possible. It’s the preferred method of investigation in human oncology, mapping the spread of cancer while also looking at cell metabolism.
“It’s the number-one diagnostic, non-invasive step you can take to look for cancer and its metabolism,” A/Prof Zuber says. “It has been totally successful in confirming the elimination of particular types of brain cancer. Generally, it allows for verification of the efficacy of cancer treatment and whether it can be eased up.”
PET therapy is not cheap. The scanning process costs between $5000 and $6000. Most of the clients who use A/Prof Zuber’s service have pet insurance and only need to pay the gap.
“Even without pet insurance, there’s a proportion of clients who will go to the ends of the earth for their pet,” he says. “We’ve had uninsured clients come up from Melbourne to get scans. They’ve rented accommodation in Sydney, transported themselves and their dog, and paid for all the scanning.”
Industry groups have also started expressing interest in the system, with particular attention from those who wish to explore the metabolism of pigs.
Gold standard
Even though it’s early days, A/Prof Zuber has aspirations to expand PET Theranostics across the country.
“Basically, a PET study provides clear, crisp images that provide a wealth of information,” he says. “We’ve invested a lot of time, effort and money in getting to the point we’re at today. Now, we want to raise awareness among veterinarians about what PET-CTs can do with regard to diagnosis and therapy.
“Our first goal is to make the clinic financially viable, then we’ll look at spreading into other areas. I’ve been involved with nuclear medicine for a long time and this is clearly the gold standard for animal health. I believe we have a very positive future.”
