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Concerns have been raised that relate to the supply of NHS patients in England, with many instances of cancer.
Choline is a radiograph in patients an hour before PET-CT scans, predominately when patients are feared to have a recurrence of prostate cancer. Without it the scans can not go ahead.
The worries of living in a patient's ear for the sake of cancer patients in England are at a high record, with almost one in four patients not starting treatment within the two-month target period.
Karen Stalbow, head of policy, knowledge and impact at Prostate Cancer UK, said: "Some men are facing lengthy delays in confirming their prognosis, as scans are repeatedly canceled out to short notice.
PSMA tracers as an alternative to choline. These scans are currently only available privately, with some men even traveling abroad to get access.
"NHS providers must take immediate action to ensure that PET-CT scans are available to all patients with prostate cancer recurrence, starting with restoring the supply of choline and then progressing the commissioning of a more effective tracer."
NHS England told the Guardian that problems with the supply of choline had been resolved.
But Richard Taylor, from west London, who was going through a cancer diagnosis for the third time in two years, initially had a scan at the University College London Hospital (UCLH) scheduled for the end of April, his oncologist – which should precede it – because of unavailability of choline.
Taylor said: "Someone in the NHS should be ashamed of the unnecessary stress they're causing patients to have – it's a quick fix – an alternative is quickly available.
"When you hear there are likely to be delays in getting a scan, you will not be able to get away from it as soon as possible. the NHS to put in place that your treatment may reasonably progress. "
UCLH had offered him a PMSA scan as an alternative, privately for £ 2,200, but after the Guardian contacted the hospital on the same day on the NHS.
A UCLH spokeswoman said: "It is well known that choline is a fragile tracer and its production can be relatively unreliable, leading to unpredictable short-term cancellations. We have been working with PSMA scans for a limited period. "
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. About one in eight men will be diagnosed with the disease at some point in their lives, according to Prostate Cancer UK.
Dr. Wai Lup Wong, the chair of the NHS England's cancer diagnostics clinical reference group, said: "There is a shortage of choline … however, some patient scans have been delayed when refurbishing one of its production sites.
"It is important that all patients with cancer can be as expeditious as possible, and for whatever reason, are kept to an absolute minimum during what is a difficult time in patients' lives."
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