PET/CT PSMA Scan for Prostate Cancer
About Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is one of the top-ranking malignancies in terms of incidence and cancer-related mortality. Diagnosis and identification of suspected metastatic disease in men considering initial definitive therapy is important to optimize treatment planning and to avoid futile interventions. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2021, almost 250,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed, and more than 30,000 men will die of the disease.
Diagnosing Prostate Cancer – Introducing PSMA PET/CT
PSMA injection is a small molecule PSMA-targeted PET imaging agent that enables visualization of lymph nodes, bone and soft tissue metastases to determine the presence or absence of recurrent and/or metastatic prostate cancer.
Charter Radiology is one of the only centers in the region performing the PSMA PET/CT scan for prostate cancer. In September 2021, the Charter team scanned its first patient at the Clarksville Imaging Center.
“Conventional imaging has significant limitations in detecting prostate cancer, both in initial staging and when the cancer has recurred or spread after initial primary treatment. Specifically, standard imaging poorly detects the early spread to distant organs, such as the lymph nodes, bones, and other organs. PSMA can detect the spread of disease well before standard imaging and can be a transformative diagnostic tool that helps clinicians develop treatment plans based on a much more accurate understanding of a patient’s distribution of disease.” said Michael J. Morris, M.D., Prostate Cancer Section Head, Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Indication
Radioisotope-PSMA Injection is a radioactive diagnostic agent indicated for positron emission tomography (PET) of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positive lesions in men with prostate cancer:
- with suspected metastasis who are candidates for initial definitive therapy.
- with suspected recurrence based on elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level.
How it Works
Once administered via injection, isotope binds to PSMA, which is an important pharmacologic target for prostate cancer imaging because prostate cancer cells usually contain elevated levels of the antigen. As a radioactive drug that emits positrons, isotope can be imaged by PET to indicate the presence of PSMA-positive prostate cancer lesions in the tissues of the body.
Contraindications
None
Is PET/CT PSMA Safe?
At Charter Radiology we use low radiation dose. A typical administered activity (dose) of the radioactive isotope is about 350-370MBq or 8-10mSV which is relatively low (compare to a regular CT scan radiation dose 8mSV without contrast and >15 mSV with contrast).
What to Expect During and After PET/CT PSMA Imaging
- Drink water to ensure adequate hydration prior to the scan.
- Our nuclear technologist will inject the painless radiotracer IV (intravenous). Usually, the majority of radiotracers take 60 minutes to travel through your body. During this waiting period, you will be asked to rest and avoid eating.
- You will be moved to the PET/CT scanner. The average scanning time is about 15-40 minutes depending on the number of bed positions.
TO SCHEDULE APPOINTMENTS
You may request an appointment online
at www.charterradiology.com or by
calling 443-917-2855.
PSMA PET/CT is Available at Charter Radiology’s Clarksville Imaging Center
