Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine
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By contributing to noninvasive molecular imaging and radioguided surgery, nuclear medicine has been instrumental in the realization of precision medicine. During the last decade, it has also become apparent that nuclear medicine (e.g., in the form of bimodal/hybrid tracers) can help to empower fluorescence-guided surgery. More specifically, when using hybrid tracers, lesions can be noninvasively identified and localized with a high sensitivity and precision (guided by the radioisotope) and ultimately resected under real-time optical guidance (fluorescent dye). This topical review discusses early clinical successes, preclinical directions, and key aspects that could have an impact on the future of this field.
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18F-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-ligand PET has several principal advantages over 68Ga-PSMA-11. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the frequency of non-tumor-related uptake and the detection efficacy comparing 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT and 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in recurrent prostate cancer (PC) patients. Methods: The study included 102 patients with biochemically recurrent PC after radical prostatectomy undergoing 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT imaging. ⋯ Further, a similar number of lesions was attributed to recurrent PC (124/369 for 18F-PSMA-1007 PET and 126/178 for 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET). Conclusion: The number of lesions with increased PSMA-ligand uptake attributed to a benign origin is considerably higher for 18F-PSMA-1007 PET than for 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET. This finding indicates the need for sophisticated reader training emphasizing known pitfalls and reporting within the clinical context.
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Observational Study
A Prospective Observational Study to Evaluate the Effects of Long-Acting Somatostatin Analogs on 68Ga-DOTATATE Uptake in Patients with Neuroendocrine Tumors.
Patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are often treated with somatostatin analogs (SSAs) for control of symptoms and tumor growth. Such therapy could theoretically lead to misinterpretation of somatostatin receptor imaging with 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT by interfering with tracer-receptor binding. Guidelines recommend an interval of 3-4 wk between the last dose and imaging. ⋯ No significant differences in SUVmax were found in normal liver or tumor lesions dependent on the interval between last dose of LA SSA and PET/CT. Conclusion: Treatment with LA SSA does not change SUVmax in tumor lesions, whereas SUVmax in normal liver is significantly lower after treatment. The findings have implications for interpretation of 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT for response assessment after SSA therapy and for guidelines on discontinuation of treatment before PET/CT.
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Clinical Trial
A Prospective Study on 18F-DCFPyL PSMA PET/CT Imaging in Biochemical Recurrence of Prostate Cancer.
18F-DCFPyL (2-(3-{1-carboxy-5-[(6-18F-fluoro-pyridine-3-carbonyl)-amino]-pentyl}-ureido)-pentanedioic acid), a prostate-specific membrane antigen-targeting radiotracer, has shown promise as a prostate cancer imaging radiotracer. We evaluated the safety, sensitivity, and impact on patient management of 18F-DCFPyL in the setting of biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer. Methods: Subjects with prostate cancer and biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy or curative-intent radiotherapy were included in this prospective study. ⋯ Twenty-two subjects reported mild adverse events after the scan; all resolved completely. Conclusion: 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT is safe and sensitive for the localization of biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer. This test improved decision making for referring oncologists and changed management for most subjects.
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A limitation of using 68Ga-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen (68Ga-PSMA) for detection and staging of prostate cancer is a frequently observed halo artifact around the urinary bladder caused by inaccurate scatter correction (SC) of PET data. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of unrenormalized absolute SC on 68Ga-PSMA PET quantification in PET/MRI of the prostate in 100 patients. Methods: The PET data of 100 patients were reconstructed twice using standard SC and improved unrenormalized SC. ⋯ The mean increase using unrenormalized SC in SUVmean was 17.5% for lesions inside the halo margin (38 lesions) and 6.9% for lesions outside the halo margin (36 lesions). Conclusion: For PET/MRI of prostate cancer using 68Ga-PSMA, a proper SC is important to ensure the best possible diagnostic quality and PET quantification. Unrenormalized absolute SC significantly reduces the halo artifact around the bladder and improves PET/MRI of the prostate.