Can an Emerging PET Radiotracer Be a Viable Alternative to Multiparametric MRI for Detecting Prostate Cancer Recurrence?
In an analysis of patients with intraprostatic/prostate bed findings of biochemical prostate cancer recurrence, the use of 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT led to an 82.3 percent cancer detection rate in comparison to 80 percent for multiparametric MRI, according to research presented at the recent Society for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) conference.
For patients with intraprostatic/prostate bed findings of biochemical prostate cancer recurrence, the use of 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) offers comparable detection to multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI), according to researchers from the National Cancer Institute, who presented their findings at the recent Society for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) conference.
For the prospective study, researchers reviewed data from 213 patients (mean age of 67) with biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer. All patients in the study cohort had mpMRI and PET/CT with 18F-DCFPyL (Pylarify, Progenics Pharmaceuticals/Lantheus). The study authors noted that 115 patients had positive intraprostatic/prostate bed findings. These patients included 58 post-prostatectomy patients and 57 patients who were previously treated with radiation, according to the study.
For the 53 prostate cancer lesions diagnosed in post-prostatectomy patients, 22 lesions were detected with MRI alone, six lesions were diagnosed with PSMA PET/CT alone and 25 lesions were detected with a combination of the two modalities. For this cohort, researchers noted cancer detection rates of 83.7 percent for mpMRI, 92.1 percent for PSMA PET/CT and 94.2 percent for the combination of the two modalities.
In the above images, the use of 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT reveals several abnormal foci while multiparametric MRI was negative in a 70-year-old patient who had biochemical recurrence nine years after previous treatment for prostate cancer. (Images courtesy of the Society for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI)).
For the 66 prostate cancer lesions detected in post-radiation patients, 17 lesions were diagnosed with MRI alone, six lesions were detected by PSMA PET/CT alone and 43 lesions were diagnosed with a combination of the two modalities. The study authors noted cancer detection rates of 83.7 percent for mpMRI, 92.1 percent for PSMA PET/CT and 94.2 percent for the modality combination in this cohort.
“18F-DCFPyL-PET/CT and mpMRI show similar cancer detection rates of intraprostatic/prostate bed recurrences, and the combination of 18F-DCFPyL-PET/CT and mpMRI provides superior diagnostic performance than either modality alone,” wrote study co-author Baris Turkbey, M.D., a senior clinician and radiologist affiliated with the Molecular Imaging Branch of the National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues.
While mpMRI demonstrated a higher detection rate than PSMA PET/CT for prostate cancer lesions, the study authors noted a lack of pathology confirmation for all lesions and a higher number of false positives with mpMRI.
Reference
1. Mena E, Lindenberg L, Lin F, et al. Comparison between 18F-DCFPyL-PET/CT and multiparametric MRI in assessing recurrence within the prostate in patients with biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer. Poster abstract presented at the 2023 Society for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) Annual Meeting June 24-27, 2023 in Chicago. Available at https://am.snmmi.org/iMIS/SNMMI-AM . Accessed August 16, 2023.
Can Abbreviated Breast MRI Have an Impact in Assessing Post-Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Response?
April 24th 2025New research presented at the Society for Breast Imaging (SBI) conference suggests that abbreviated MRI is comparable to full MRI in assessing pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.
What New Research Reveals About Novice Use of AI-Guided Cardiac Ultrasound
April 4th 2025In a study recently presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) conference, researchers found that novice use of AI-guided cardiac ultrasound after an AI-enabled electrocardiogram increased the positive predictive value for reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) or aortic valve stenosis by 33 percent.
GE HealthCare Debuts AI-Powered Cardiac CT Device at ACC Conference
April 1st 2025Featuring enhanced low-dose image quality with motion-free images, the Revolution Vibe CT system reportedly facilitates improved diagnostic clarity for patients with conditions ranging from in-stent restenosis to atrial fibrillation.
New AI-Enabled Portable Ultrasound May Facilitate 50 Percent Reduction in Cardiac Imaging Scan Time
March 28th 2025Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered measurement capabilities provide key features with the Compact Ultrasound 5500CV device, which was unveiled at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) conference.
GE HealthCare Launches PET MPI Agent Flyrcado at ACC Conference
March 28th 2025The positron emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (PET MPI) agent, which offers a significantly higher half-life than other cardiac PET agents, was recently granted pass-through payment status by CMS that will go into effect on April 1, 2025.
