PET-Scanner 18F-PSMA in prostate cancer follow-up: A prospective study about 8 cases

Abstract

Introduction

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. The imaging assessment and treatment of prostate cancer has improved and the introduction of Positron Emission Tomography Scanner (PET-Scanner) 18F-Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has allowed the detection of locoregional and metastatic disease. The main purpose of this work is to analyse the PET-Scanner 18F-PSMA outcomes in prostate cancer follow-up, and to perform a review of the literature.

Materials and methods

It is a prospective and descriptive study covering a period of 4 months, from July to October 2023. It concerned nuclear findings in PET-Scanner 18F-PSMA of 8 patients who came for a follow-up of a prostatic cancer. This study was conducted in Nuclear Medicine department in Cheikh Khalifa University Hospital, Casablanca, Morocco.

Results

A total of 8 patients presenting a prostatic adenocarcinoma were identified. The indications for PET-Scanner 18F-PSMA were mainly the follow up of prostate cancer for patients whom presented a PSA at 1.83 ng/mL (average level). Our patients presented an average age of 73.25 years and received an average injected dose intravenously of 237.99 MBq of fluoro-PSMA. The images’ analysis revealed a predominance of hypermetabolic lymph node involvement found in 7 cases followed by hypermetabolic bone damage found in 4 cases.

Conclusion

Molecular imaging with PSMA targeted PET allows an accurate detection and localization of re-current disease as well as the optimization of the treatment strategies and the improvement of patient outcomes, even at low PSA levels.