A new PET molecular imaging technique using prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has demonstrated excellent sensitivity in detection of low volume metastatic Prostate cancer. If this small volume disease is accessible for surgery or radiation therapy, patients may be cleared of disease in the short term and systemic therapy and the resultant side effects can be delayed. As such the ability to visualise these early metastatic deposits and early PCa recurrence is very relevant for staging, prognosis, and planning therapies to optimise patient outcomes.

​

PSMA is a cell surface target that is highly expressed by nearly all prostate cancers with enhanced expression levels found in poorly differentiated, aggressive tumours, metastatic and hormone-refractory carcinomas. Due to the high PSMA uptake in PCa cells it is an ideal biological target for PET imaging of PCa, especially for visualising small lymph node, bone and liver metastases. The ability to identify and localise PCa recurrence in patients with elevated serum (PSA) but with no other symptoms after definitive therapy, is the goal of PSMA PET-CT.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Reference:

Dr Brett Sounness, South Coast Radiology and GCUH, "NEW PSMA PET tracer aids detection of prostate cancer recurrence", https://www.scr.com.au/page/About_Us/News/NEW_PSMA_PET_tracer_aids_detection_of_prostate_cancer_recurrance/