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Published in: European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 5/2019

01-05-2019 | Prostate Cancer | Original Article

68Ga-PSMA PET/CT for monitoring response to 177Lu-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

Authors: Alexander Heinzel, Dima Boghos, Felix M. Mottaghy, Florian Gaertner, Markus Essler, Dirk von Mallek, Hojjat Ahmadzadehfar

Published in: European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging | Issue 5/2019

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Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the use of 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT for monitoring response to 177Lu-617 PSMA radioligand therapy in patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

Methods

Patients from the University Hospital Bonn and the University Hospital Aachen were retrospectively reviewed for this study. We included 48 patients with mCRPC who were treated with 177Lu-PSMA-617 and whose records included 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT imaging before the first and after the third or fourth treatment cycle. A treatment response based on 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT was defined according to a modified version of the PERCIST criteria. A decline in PSA level of ≥50% was considered the reference standard. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and ROC curves were calculated, and patient survival times in relation to the PET results were also analysed.

Results

68Ga-PSMA PET/CT had a sensitivity of about 85% and a specificity of between 55% and 65%. The negative and positive predictive values ranged between 70% and 78%. The fitted ROC area was 0.70. The survival time was about 19.6 months in patients with a treatment response, while nonresponders had a survival time of about 15.9 months. However, this difference between the groups was not statistically significant.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT could be a useful tool for the evaluation of response to 177Lu-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy within a theranostic framework.
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Literature
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go back to reference Fendler WP, Kratochwil C, Ahmadzadehfar H, Rahbar K, Baum RP, Schmidt M, et al. 177Lu-PSMA-617 therapy, dosimetry and follow-up in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Nuklearmedizin. 2016;55:123–8.CrossRefPubMed Fendler WP, Kratochwil C, Ahmadzadehfar H, Rahbar K, Baum RP, Schmidt M, et al. 177Lu-PSMA-617 therapy, dosimetry and follow-up in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Nuklearmedizin. 2016;55:123–8.CrossRefPubMed
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Metadata
Title
68Ga-PSMA PET/CT for monitoring response to 177Lu-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer
Authors
Alexander Heinzel
Dima Boghos
Felix M. Mottaghy
Florian Gaertner
Markus Essler
Dirk von Mallek
Hojjat Ahmadzadehfar
Publication date
01-05-2019
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging / Issue 5/2019
Print ISSN: 1619-7070
Electronic ISSN: 1619-7089
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-019-4258-6

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