Psma Pet Scan For Prostate Cancer

What About The Cancer Cells That Dont Make Psma

Pomper is developing new molecules and therapies to target PSMA-invisible forms of prostate cancer. We are working on agents that work through different mechanisms and can complement the PSMA-targeted agents, he says. I believe that combining theranostics with immunotherapy, PARP inhibitors and other emerging agents in addition to further optimization of dosage, dose rate and type of isotope of the PSMA-targeting agents will be able to stave off progression of the disease for years, and that eventually, these patients will not die of their prostate cancer.

There are even wider implications, too: It took a long time, but now were seeing many exciting offshoots of our work in other forms of cancer, as well. Some pretty amazing things are happening.

How Is Psma Pet Imaging Different From Current Prostate Cancer Imaging

• Current standard technique called fluciclovine PET, involves physicians injecting patients with a synthetic radioactive amino acid.
• PSMA PET imaging is a FDA approved scan with more precise detection of prostate cancer for better treatment planning and targeted care.
• More effective in pinpointing and eliminating tumors not only in the prostate but also throughout the pelvis and the body in cases where the tumors have migrated.
• Imaging with PSMA PET was able to detect significantly more prostate lesions than fluciclovine PET in men who had undergone a radical prostatectomy but had experienced a recurrence of their cancer.

Psma Pet With Genesiscare

PSMA PET imaging will significantly improve how prostate cancer is detected and treated.

A PSMA PET/CT scan is a type of PET/CT scan using two types of scans positron emission tomography and computed tomography and a special radiotracer to detect prostate cancer within the prostate and that has spread throughout the body. It is used if you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer to assess whether it has spread.

The radiotracer is a special substance that is injected into your body before the scan and is attracted to a substance in the body called prostate specific membrane antigen . PSMA is a type of protein found in high concentrations on the surface of prostate cancer cells, including those that have spread to other parts of your body. The radiotracer can be detected by the PET/CT scan, showing where the cancer has spread and also indicating how it may respond to certain treatments. These results provide extremely detailed information to help your doctor plan your care.

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Psma Pet Imaging In Prostate Cancer

GALLIUM Ga 68 GOZETOTIDE PSMA PET IMAGING HAS BEEN STUDIED IN MULTIPLE TRIALS AND IS APPROVED FOR PATIENTS WITH PROSTATE CANCER5,6,13,14

• For selection of patients with metastatic prostate cancer, for whom lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan PSMA-directed therapy is indicated15
• For patients with suspected metastasis who are candidates for initial definitive therapy15
• For patients with suspected recurrence based on elevated serum prostate-specific antigen level15

Indication

LOCAMETZ® , after radiolabeling with gallium-68, is indicated for positron emission tomography of prostate-specific membrane antigen -positive lesions in men with prostate cancer:

• with suspected metastasis who are candidates for initial definitive therapy
• with suspected recurrence based on elevated serum prostate-specific antigen level
• for selection of patients with metastatic prostate cancer for whom lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan PSMA-directed therapy is indicated

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Risk for Misinterpretation

Image interpretation errors can occur with LOCAMETZ PET. Negative imaging does not rule out the presence of prostate cancer and a positive imaging does not confirm the presence of prostate cancer. Gallium Ga 68 gozetotide uptake is not specific for prostate cancer and may occur with other types of cancer as well as nonmalignant processes. Clinical correlation, which may include histopathological evaluation of the suspected prostate cancer site, is recommended.

Radiation Risk

Improved Survival Largely Safe For Patients

The VISION trial enrolled 831 people with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. All of them had previously been treated with chemotherapy and other standard treatments, such as enzalutamide and abiraterone . In addition, all participants had PSMA-positive tumorsthat is, their tumors overproduced PSMAas determined by PSMA PET imaging.

Trial participants were randomly assigned to receive treatment with 177Lu-PSMA-617 along with their physicians choice of treatment, which had to be among several commonly used options for cancers no longer responding to other established treatments, or their physicians treatment choice alone.

Physicians’ choices of treatment could not include chemotherapy or radium-223 , a radiopharmaceutical specifically used to treat bone metastases in patients with prostate cancer. The typical options included enzalutamide or abiraterone as well as palliative treatments, like radiation and steroids, Dr. Morris explained in an interview. Under the trials design, doctors could adapt treatment as they felt necessary.

We were trying to mirror practices in this particular context, he said. If the patient needed a change, they could go from one treatment to another.

In addition to improving how long patients lived overall, participants treated with 177Lu-PSMA-617 also had improved progression-free survival, which is how long somebody lives without their cancer getting worse: 8.7 months versus 3.4 months.

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Impediments To Clinical Applications

Apart from the benefits coming out from PSMA PET/CT for patients suffering from PC, several restrictions are noted. First, PET cameras are not always available as they are missing from nuclear medicine departments particularly of the remote regions for various reasons. Endorsement of PSMA in international guidelines is needed warranted . Another crucial point is the clarification of its role for the patients course after upstaging his status. More work is needed to correlate the management change of a patient with survival benefit .

In conclusion, PSMA PET/CT has shown unchallengeable results in PC both in initial setting and biochemical failure. Irrespectively of PSA level, PSMA PET/CT outperforms CT and BS combined.

What Is The Psma

In a PSMA-PET scan, doctors use an injectable radioactive tracer to bind to PSMA lesions anywhere in the body. This helps illuminate or light up the prostate cancer tumors during PET scans so doctors can better visualize the cancer. In clinical trials, PSMA-PET scans were highly effective at detecting prostate cancer throughout the body and significantly more likely to find metastatic tumors than current standard-of-care CT scans or bone scans, says Dr. Hope, who was part of the UCSF research team conducting the trials.

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Why You Might Want A Psma Pet Scan

There are several advantages to getting a PSMA PET scan, including:

It can find very small tumors much better than standard tests. In one study, PSMA PET scans found 85% of metastatic tumors, compared to only 38% with CT and bone scans.

Itâs specifically linked to PSMA. So thereâs less chance the test will mistake other problems for cancer.

Itâs much less likely to make equivocal findings. This means your results will likely be more definite, one way or the other.

It guides your treatment and helps you avoid tests and treatments you donât need. For example, if your cancer has spread beyond your prostate gland, surgery to remove it wonât help.

You get less radiation than with other scans.

The Future Of Psma Pet

This is a solid study and reflects the real-world experience with PSMA PET-CT in other countries, Dr. Pomper said. Because there are several PSMA-targeted tracers, a next step will be to have them approved for use in the United States outside of clinical trials, he added.

He predicted that, eventually, the different PSMA tracers will be tested head to head.

The Australian trial adds to a growing body of research on improving the detection of metastatic tumors in men with prostate cancer. One imaging agent, fluciclovine F18 which targets prostate cancer cells in a different way than PSMA-targeted tracersis already approved in the United States for use in men with previously treated prostate cancer that appears to be progressing .

PSMA PET-CT is also being studied in this group of men, Dr. Shankar said. One small clinical trial that directly compared PSMA PET-CT with fluciclovine F18 PET-CT showed that the PSMA-targeted scan found more metastatic tumors, regardless of their location. NCI is funding a similar but larger clinical trial.

Dr. Pomper noted that PSMA also is found at relatively high levels in the vasculature of a number of other cancersincluding kidney, thyroid, and breastso hes hopeful that PSMA PET-CT might be useful beyond prostate cancer.

Urologists and radiation oncologists in many places are already ordering this scan as the standard of care, he said.

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How To Get A Psma Pet Scan

• PSMA PET scans are offered at UCSF Radiology China Basin location in the San Francisco Bay area.
• For UCSF patients, please reach out to Radiology Scheduling directly to schedule your PSMA scan.
• For non-UCSF facilities referring patients that are new to UCSF, please fax the following to 353-7299 for patient registration to be completed prior to scheduling:
• Patient Exam Order
• Insurance Information and Authorization

Should You Expect Side Effects From A Psma

There are no known side effects from the PSMA drugs used for the PSMA-PET scan, Dr. Hope says. We give it in a pico-molecular concentration. Its so low of a concentration, you cant actually manage an allergic reaction to it, he says. Reports of typical side effectsnausea, vomiting, and itchingare rare. In addition, there arent any contraindications for using the PSMA drug. Theres no risk if you have kidney failure or things like that, Dr. Hope says.

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Newly Approved Radiotracers Improve Pet/ct Imaging For Prostate Cancer

The FDA approved two radiotracers in that are used with PSMA PET. Gallium 68 PSMA-11 was approved in December, 2020, and the more widely available Pylarify was FDA approved in May, 2021.

Clinical trials showed that PSMA PET found significantly more cancer than conventional imaging methods. In one trial, the new imaging led to a change in the treatment plan for 64% of the participants.

PSMA PET/CT is an imaging tool that uses positron emission tomography fused with computed tomography to detect prostate cancer anywhere in the body. A safe, radioactive substance called a radiotracer is injected into your body before the imaging test. The radiotracer seeks out and attaches to cancer cells, making them visible on the image. In the case of PSMA PET, the radiotracer attaches to a protein on the surface of prostate cancer cells, called prostate specific membrane antigen .

A board-certified physician who specializes in PET/CT evaluates the images and a doctor who specializes in cancer treatment uses the information to develop and monitor cancer treatment.

How To Get Started With A Psma Pet Scanfor Prostate Cancer

Referrals

UCLA Health welcomes patient referrals for a PSMA PET scan from physicians who are based anywhere in the world. For patients who have questions about gaining a physicians referral, please contact us.

Connect with us

For an appointment, call us at . Appointments are taken Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. Please leave a message after hours.

Internal healthcare providers can e-mail the Nuclear Medicine Clinic at UCLA Health or place an order in CareConnect for individuals who are already patients.

Where treatment happens

UCLA Healths PSMA PET scan is performed at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on UCLAs campus in the Westwood area of Los Angeles.

Once the PSMA PET scan is complete, men can receive prostate cancer care at UCLA Healths hospitals in Westwood and Santa Monica, or at UCLA Healths Encino medical office. The scan can also be used in conjunction with care at any other hospital where the patient is being treated.

The total time it takes for a PSMA PET scan is about two hours. What will happen is the tracer will be injected by a UCLA nuclear medicine technologist. Then the patient waits one hour before entering the PET scanner for 30 minutes.

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What Is A Pet Scan And Why Is It Used For Prostate Cancer

New GE Discovery IQ PET Scanner

• What is a PET scan? A PET Scan, short for Positron Emission Tomography Scan, is an imaging technique that uses radioactive tracers to clearly image targeted areas in the body. It is primarily used in the diagnosis, initial staging and treatment strategy, to assess the effectiveness of therapy and for restaging, or the evaluation for recurrent disease after treatment.
• Why is a PET scan used for prostate cancer? PET scanning is used for prostate cancer because of its superior ability to target and capture images of prostate cancer on a cellular level. This allows for more accurate staging and restaging in the overall prostate cancer treatment strategy. With new radiotracers being developed and studied, PET scanning continues to lead the way in what will be possible for imaging during treatment of prostate cancer.

PET scanning has revolutionized the way prostate cancer is imaged because of its ability to target cancer on a cellular and molecular level. PET Scanning uses a radioactive tracer that is absorbed and visualized in cancerous cells related to the prostate. This makes a PET scan a better choice than more conventional imaging modalities that only evaluate an anatomical snapshot of abnormalities rather than the functional aspects of a PET scan.

Initial Screening And Diagnosis

PSMA-PET imaging is used to screen for and diagnose prostate cancer. Researchers completed a pilot trial that found PSMA-PET imaging successfully showed better images of prostate cancer than magnetic resonance imaging alone . Another clinical trial is now underway to further study the use of PSMA-PET imaging when screening for and diagnosing prostate cancer.

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Host Your Own Fundraiser Or Event

If you would like to host your own fundraiser or event, then please contact us and we can help you get started. Happy hours, bake sales, t-shirt sales, sports tournaments, dinner parties the list in endless and no event is too big or too small when it has to do with raising awareness for testicular cancer.

You can also set up your own fundraiser on the Testicular Cancer Society Crowdrise page.

Doctors Can See Prostate Cancer Anywhere In The Body With Psma Pet Imaging

For years, one of the most powerful molecular imaging tools, positron emission tomography , has frustrated doctors when it comes to detecting prostate cancer cells. Until recently, the available radiotracers the radioactive molecules doctors use to show cancer cells on PET scans did not routinely bind to this specific type of cancer.

We would know that a patients tumor had spread since their PSA was rising, but we wouldnt know where or how much and wed have to use our best guess when planning treatments, explained Daniel Appelbaum, MD, a radiologist and nuclear medicine physician at the University of Chicago Medicine. Now, however, a new radiotracer is capable of precisely and reliably tagging prostate cancer cells anywhere in the body. UChicago Medicine is one of the first institutions in Chicago to offer the PSMA PET scan and the only institution in the city to have participated in the CONDOR and OSPREY clinical trials that helped piflufolastat F 18, also known as Pylarify , gain FDA approval. It’s exciting because it’s the single best method we now have available to visualize prostate cancer in the body, said urologic oncologist Scott Eggener, MD. Knowing the anatomic location of prostate cancer can obviously help us make smarter treatment decisions for patients.

To now be able to see this all directly on a scan is a real game-changer in the fight against prostate cancer.

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Psma Pet Imaging For Prostate Cancer

Find cutting-edge tests for prostate cancer close to home. Were regional leaders in cancer care with over 30 years of research and clinical experience.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men.Effectively treating prostate cancer, whether a new diagnosis or if its come back , requires knowing where the cancer is located. With precise testing, your physician can prescribe the best treatment for getting you back to your best health.

PSMA imaging helps us do that.

What Will Happen During The Exam

• When you arrive at the imaging center, you will be escorted into a private room to prepare for your exam.
• A technologist will then inject a radioactive substance called a radiotracer through an intravenous line in your arm.
• The radiotracer will take about 60 minutes to circulate throughout your body. You can sleep, listen to music, or watch videos in the area provided for you.
• When you are ready, you’ll lie on a narrow, padded table that slides into the scanner. You will have a low dose CT scan done at the same time as your PET.
• During the scan you’ll need to lie very still so that the images aren’t blurred because movement could affect the results of the PET/CT scan.
• The scan itself will take about 30 minutes.
• The entire process will take about two hours.

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What Happens During The Psma Pet Scan

The day before your scheduled PSMA PET/CT, a nurse will call you to ask you about your medications and remind you of your appointment time. The exam doesnt require fasting. And patients are encouraged to drink fluids before and after their exam.

After arriving for your scan, you will be asked your height and weight. Youll also be asked to remove metal objects such as jewelry and belt buckles. A nurse will place an IV in your arm. And a technologist will use the IV to inject radioactive PSMA. The IV will be removed after the injection. Youll wait in a comfortable room for an hour while the PSMA circulates and attaches to prostate cancer cells.