Additional PET/CT Tracer to Detect Prostate Cancer
Researchers identify 18F-PMSA-1007 as an equally effective radiopharmaceutical for detecting prostate cancer.
Researchers have identified a second radiopharmaceutical that nuclear medicine departments can keep in mind when staging prostate cancer.
According to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine, investigators in Israel determined 18fluorine prostate-specific membrane antigen-1007 (18F-PMSA-1007) can accurately pinpoint malignant prostate cancer lesions.
The team, led by Einat Evan-Sapir, M.D., Ph.D., from Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, said this additional radiopharmaceutical likely has a longer half-life and better spatial resolution than 68gallium-PSMA-11 (68Ga-PMSA-11). According to the study details, 18F-PMSA-1007’s half-life is 110 minutes, and 68Ga-PMSA-11’s is 68 minutes. 68Ga-PSMA-11 also emits a higher-energy positron.
To determine efficacy, the team compared how well 18F- PMSA-1007 diagnosed prostate cancer to how well 68Ga-PSMA-11 performed with PET/CT scans. They evaluated 16 patients who were awaiting radical prostatectomy for newly-diagnosed intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancer. They, then, compared the outcomes with both radiopharmaceuticals with the gold standard of histopathologic findings.
Both 18F-PMSA-1007 and 68Ga-PMSA-11 identified the same location of radiolabeled PSMA-avid lesions in the prostate. However, 18F-PMSA-1007 pinpointed additional findings in four patients – three were confirmed as prostate cancer, and one was determined to be chronic prostatitis.
The results indicate an interchangeability between the radiopharmaceuticals, the team said.
“In view of the near-equal performance of the two traces, this preliminary study suggest the routine use of 18F-PMSA-1007 in lieu of 68Ga-PMSA-11 for staging prostate cancer patients, and clinicians can use either radiotracer based on availability,” the team wrote.
