The Present State of Nuclear Medicine Practice in Japan—A Report of the 7th Nationwide Survey in 2012—

Abstract

The Subcommittee on Survey of Nuclear Medicine Practice in Japan has performed a nationwide questionnaire surveys every five years since 1982. The latest questionnaire survey was performed in June 2012. The estimated total number of the annual examinations was 1.15 millions, 19% less than that of the last survey in 2007. The scintigraphic examination most frequently performed was bone scintigraphy, followed by myocardial and brain perfusion scintigraphy in order. The number of PET studies and radionuclide targeted therapies increased by 40% and 62%, respectively, as compared to the 2007's survey. The increase was attributable to growing uses of commercially delivered FDG, and the newly started radionuclide targeted therapy for patients with metastatic bone tumor or malignant lymphoma, in addition to ¹³¹I therapy for patients with thyroid cancer or Graves' disease. The number of in vitro radioassays has been decreasing continuously since 1992.