PSMA PET/CT scans can identify prostate cancer patients most likely to benefit from salvage radiotherapy
New data suggest PSMA PET/CT imaging may help providers select prostate cancer patients most likely to benefit from salvage therapy.
The study, which was conducted in Denmark, is the first to show that men with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer who undergo PSMA PET/CT prior to salvage therapy have improved survival rates. These findings are important, as up to 40% of individuals with prostate cancer experience biochemical recurrence.
In cases of recurrence, salvage radiotherapy is the treatment of choice. It requires precision targeting of lesions, which is guided via imaging. PSMA PET/CT has emerged as the modality of choice for these cases, as it allows providers to pinpoint lesions with greater accuracy.
“It is widely accepted that PSMA PET/CT is more accurate than other imaging methods for returning prostate cancer, and that it often changes patient treatment strategies,” Anna W. Mogensen, MSc, a PhD student at the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Aalborg University Hospital in Aalborg, Denmark, said in a release on the findings. “Nevertheless, it has remained unclear whether PSMA PET/CT–guided changes in treatment strategy led to improved survival.”
The study’s data span eight years, from 2015 after PSMA PET/CT was introduced in Denmark until 2023. Experts analyzed the cases of 844 patients, 308 of whom underwent PSMA PET/CT prior to salvage therapy and 536 who did not. Outcomes between the two groups were compared for up to five years following the completion of treatment.
Greater overall survival rates were observed in the PSMA PET/CT group, at 100%, 99.5%, and 98.1% at the 1-, 2- and 3-year follow-ups for this group; these figures were 99%, 97.8% and 93.8% in the other cohort. Three-year biochemical recurrence-free survival rates were also better for the PSMA PET/CT group, at 74.9% compared to 69.4%.
“Our findings show that PSMA PET/CT scans can help clinicians select the patients most likely to experience success with salvage radiotherapy. This means fewer patients may receive unnecessary treatment, while more will be provided with the appropriate care,” Mogensen said, adding that the findings support increased use of nuclear medicine techniques in prostate cancer treatment management.
Read more about the findings in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.