PSMA PET imaging will soon become the new standard of care for detecting prostate cancer metastases, leading to improved care for these patients.

These are the latest findings of the Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, OH, USA) which has ranked PSMA PET imaging at No. 2 on its list of the top 10 medical innovations to watch in 2022.

With a one in eight chance of diagnosis, prostate cancer is an ever-present worry for men. While many patients survive the disease, some develop metastatic cancer, which can lead to a poor outcome and possibly death. Early detection and imaging using CT and MRI scans are critical for staging and tumor location, but offer limited accuracy. Now, a promising new imaging technology has emerged, called prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography, or PSMA PET.

PSMA is an antigen found in high levels on the surface of prostate cancer cells and is a potential biomarker for disease. PSMA PET uses a radioactive tracer to locate and attach to PSMA proteins, which are then visible by PET. This targeted approach can be used in conjunction with CT or MRI scans to visualize where prostate cancer cells are residing. Results during phase three clinical trials showed substantially increased accuracy for detection of prostate metastasis compared to conventional imaging. FDA approved in 2021, experts say the PET tracer procedure will soon become the new standard of care for detecting prostate cancer metastasis, leading to improved care for these patients. 

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