Is PSMA PET a necessity in oligo-metastatic recurrent prostate cancer?

Abstract

Received: September 14, 2018; Accepted: September 21, 2018; Published: September 27, 2018 Positron Emission Tomography (PET) nuclear imaging is vital in the process of diagnosing recurrence of prostate cancer following radical therapy. The conventional PET modality uses Choline based tracers (11C or 18F), a phospholipid precursor that becomes concentrated in areas of high cell division and thus highlights areas of malignancy. This is the current form of gold standard imaging for prostate cancer recurrence, however, multiple studies have found that it’s sensitivity and specificity vary significantly, with a reduced accuracy at PSA levels of less than 1ng/ml [1,2]. This can result in delays in salvage therapy or delayed diagnoses, and thus has driven research into alternative imaging modalities with the aim of improving patient care.