A game changer
“PSMA PET has been a real game changer in high-risk prostate cancer and has implications in the various stages of prostate cancer management from diagnosis and staging to theranostics,” said Renu Eapen, MBBS , of Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, who was not involved in this study.
“PSMA PET/CT has challenged conventional imaging in staging before curative intent surgery or radiotherapy,” Dr. Eapen added.
Accuracy of PSMA PET/CT was 27% higher than that of conventional imaging in the proPSMA trial, she noted in an interview. This superior accuracy can ultimately have management impact, while the imaging has additional benefits of lower radiation dose and reproducibility with high reporter agreement, potentially making it a “one-stop-shop” scan.
“This prospective study by Ma et al. is a great adjunct to the proPSMA results, with the aims of further stratifying patients who are likely to be upstaged on PSMA PET/CT,” Dr. Eapen said. “As the availability of PSMA PET/CT increases and more centers adopt this technology, we need studies like these to risk-stratify patients and select those who would benefit.”
The study did not receive any specific funding. Dr. Ma and Dr. Eapen disclosed no conflicts of interest.
SOURCE: Ma TM et al. ASTRO 2020, Abstract 58 .