A second scan using prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography changed treatment plans for nearly half of patients with recurrent prostate cancer whose initial scan was negative, according to research published in the July issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
Here are four things to know:
- The prospective multicenter study included 210 patients from the Registry for Recurrent Prostate Cancer in Ontario who underwent more than one PSMA PET scan after their initial scan showed no detectable disease.
- A second scan identified disease in 56% of patients, leading to a change in management for nearly 50%.
- Researchers found repeat imaging was most likely to detect disease in patients with higher prostate-specific antigen levels and a PSA doubling time of less than 12 months. Disease identified on repeat imaging included local recurrence, locoregional disease, oligometastatic disease and extensive metastatic disease.
- The findings suggest repeat PSMA PET imaging may provide clinically meaningful information for patients with recurrent prostate cancer despite an initial negative scan, particularly when PSA levels continue to rise.
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