In Ukraine, the system of early diagnosis of a number of oncological diseases, in particular in the field of hematology, has practically stopped. Thousands of patients found themselves in a critical situation: they are forced to either wait for access to examinations, or look for an opportunity to go abroad. About this informs BBC.
Recently, the last Kyiv center that provided PET-CT services, a modern method that allows detecting oncological diseases in the early stages and adjusting treatment, in particular chemotherapy and radiation therapy, stopped working.
Positron emission computed tomography is a highly accurate method that allows for the detection of tumors using the injection of radioactive isotopes and CT scanning. Its appearance significantly improved the quality of diagnostics in oncology all over the world, including Ukraine. However, even before the full-scale invasion, this service remained limitedly available in Ukraine due to the complexity of technical support: the production of the necessary isotopes requires the use of special installations – cyclotrons, which are registered with the IAEA. Creating and maintaining such centers requires serious investment and a high level of security.
Until 2022, only three PET-CT centers were operating in Ukraine: in the Kyiv City Oncology Center, the Feofania Clinic, and the private Lysod Center. This means less than one device per 10 million population, while in European countries the figure is one device per million. In Poland, for example, PET-CT is available in at least every voivodship, as well as in smaller towns – even such as bordering Zamosc.
Due to the shortage of equipment, in Ukraine even before the full-scale war, there were long queues for examinations – registration was carried out several months in advance, which complicated the treatment process. After the beginning of the invasion, the situation became even more complicated. “Lisod”, which delivered isotopes from abroad by plane, lost this opportunity in 2022, and from 2024 it finally stopped conducting research. For some time, the centers in Feofania and the city cancer center remained operational, but in the summer of 2025, they also stopped working.
The management of both institutions explained that the equipment was stopped for maintenance and routine work. However, the main problem is the lack of foreign specialists — they do not want to go to Ukraine because of the threat of missile attacks. Remote support does not provide an adequate level of service, so it was not possible to quickly restore the equipment.
The Center for Nuclear Medicine reported that they are doing everything possible to launch it as soon as possible. It is here that from the beginning of the summer of 2025, examinations became available within the framework of the state guarantee program, which allowed certain categories of patients to receive the service for free. However, getting into this program is not easy.
As of now, the cost of one PET-CT examination at the Nuclear Medicine Center is about 20,000 hryvnias. A similar price applies in the Feofania clinic.
