Dr. Hope on the Impact of Using 68Ga-PSMA-11 to Detect Pelvic Nodal Metastasis in Prostate Cancer

Thomas Hope, MD, an associate professor of radiology and director of Molecular Therapy for the Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics Clinical Section of the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), discusses the clinical impact of using 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET to detect pelvic nodal metastasis in men with intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancer.

At the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Meeting, positive findings from a prospective phase 3 clinical trial demonstrated utility of the radiotracer 68Ga-PSMA-11 in this setting. Moreover, the results led to the submission of a new drug application to the FDA, Hope says. 

Pending approval, the availability of the PSMA PET may alleviate some challenges in initial staging of these patients, explains Hope.

Clinically, a majority of men who have positive nodes after prostatectomy still experience biochemical recurrence, says Hope. Historically, it has been known that the presence of positive nodes is a main predictor of recurrence. However, with the use of the PSMA PET, this information can potentially be available prior to surgery, adds Hope.

The question of how to best utilize that information to optimize outcomes for patients with positive nodes prior to prostatectomy remains unanswered, concludes Hope.