Dr. François Paycha

Dr. François Paycha is a senior physician in nuclear medicine at the Hôpital Européen Georges-Pompidou (HEGP) in Paris, one of France's principal academic hospital centres and a major European oncology and cardiology referral institution. With over 25 years of experience, he is a leading practitioner in the full scope of nuclear medicine, from oncological PET/CT imaging to bone scintigraphy, thyroid medicine, and cardiac functional assessment.

After completing his medical degree in Paris and PhD research in radiopharmacology, Dr. Paycha undertook specialist training in nuclear medicine with advanced fellowships at HEGP and at the Institut Gustave Roussy, one of Europe's leading cancer centres. His research background in radiopharmaceutical pharmacokinetics informs his interpretation of complex nuclear medicine studies.

At HEGP, he works closely with oncology, cardiology, and endocrinology teams in multidisciplinary meetings, where nuclear medicine imaging is integral to staging, treatment planning, and response monitoring. He is a recognized authority on FDG PET/CT in oncology and on bone scintigraphy for skeletal metastasis assessment and orthopedic applications. He also leads thyroid nuclear medicine services including radioiodine therapy for differentiated thyroid cancer.

Dr. Paycha completed his medical degree at Université Paris Descartes (now Université Paris Cité) and undertook his nuclear medicine residency (internat) in Paris hospitals including the Hôpital Lariboisière and Institut Gustave Roussy. His PhD focused on the pharmacokinetics of bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals. He undertook an advanced nuclear medicine fellowship at HEGP and obtained the Certificat d'Études Spéciales (CES) in nuclear medicine. He is a member of the Société Française de Médecine Nucléaire (SFMN) and the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM), and contributes to EANM practice guidelines.

Dr. Paycha's primary clinical activity centres on nuclear medicine imaging for oncology and internal medicine. In oncology, he performs and interprets FDG PET/CT for initial staging, response assessment after chemotherapy or immunotherapy, and surveillance in lymphoma, lung cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, melanoma, and head and neck cancer. He provides PSMA PET/CT interpretation for prostate cancer staging and biochemical recurrence localisation.

In thyroid nuclear medicine, he performs diagnostic thyroid scintigraphy and whole-body iodine scans, and administers radioiodine (I-131) therapy for hyperthyroidism and differentiated thyroid cancer. In bone imaging, he performs whole-body bone scintigraphy and hybrid SPECT/CT for bone metastasis, Paget's disease, and orthopedic prosthesis complications. In cardiology, he performs myocardial perfusion scintigraphy for ischaemic heart disease evaluation.

Dr. Paycha conducts consultations in French, English, and Italian. HEGP, as an AP-HP university hospital, accepts patients from the European Union and internationally, with established processes for European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) and private insurance. For international patients seeking oncology PET/CT imaging in Paris — including those travelling from the UK, USA, or other non-EU countries for cancer staging or treatment monitoring — the nuclear medicine department provides written reports in both French and English. Video-based case review and second opinion on prior imaging studies is available for patients who cannot travel.

Dr. Paycha has received recognition from the Société Française de Médecine Nucléaire for contributions to bone scintigraphy methodology and thyroid nuclear medicine education. He has published over 45 peer-reviewed articles in the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and other journals. He is an invited reviewer for EANM guidelines and has contributed to the development of European diagnostic standards for bone scintigraphy, an area in which he is considered among France's principal authorities.