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

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.