Wolfgang Fendler, MD, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, discusses the utility and pending FDA approval of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET in prostate cancer.

The identification of disease via 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET imaging led to management changes in patients with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer. The change was in 68% of patients with any change in management after 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET imaging. About 48% of physicians considered an intended change and patients were then given a different type of treatment that was not considered before.

The types of changes investigators observed were the addition of chemotherapy in a patient who had disease or lesions outside the usual operating field, says Fendler. Typical changes also included the addition of radiation therapy in patients who had lymph nodes detected in the pelvis or who have localized disease; these patients often underwent additional radiation therapy in order for treatment to be more effective.

Several entities are actively working on an FDA approval of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET, adds Fendler, which is anticipated within 1 year or so. If approved, the test will become available, and thus, will be used more often. Before decisions are made, patients will undergo additional imaging to inform further management, concludes Fendler.

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Wolfgang Fendler, MD, discusses the utility and pending FDA approval of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET in prostate cancer.

 

Dr. Fendler on Impact of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET on Prostate Cancer Management

Wolfgang Fendler, MD, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, discusses the rationale for creating the 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET imaging test in prostate cancer.

The 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET test, a whole-body scan for patients with prostate cancer, offers insight into tumor location and provides other relevant information in the clinical setting. Knowing the location of the tumor is vital for many available treatments for this disease, including radiation and surgery.

What had once been an unmet need in the prostate cancer paradigm has now been filled with the the development of the 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET imaging test; this test can help improve future prostate cancer regimens, concludes Fendler.

Wolfgang Fendler, MD, discusses the rationale for creating the 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET in prostate cancer.

Dr. Fendler on Rationale for Creating the 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET in Prostate Cancer

Wolfgang Fendler, MD, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, discusses the impact of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET imaging on the clinical management of patients with prostate cancer.

Investigators have demonstrated that 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET imaging shows prostate cancer lesions in about 75% of patients with a rising tumor marker level, says Fendler. This imaging test has also proven to be very accurate. Investigators took their research a step further by evaluating this imaging test in a larger patient population to establish whether this imaging test can impact management decisions, adds Fendler. Through the use of questionnaires, investigators assessed data regarding the management of 382 patients; the goal was to determine whether the treating physicians’ intended management plan pre-imaging changed after seeing the results of the test.

To this end, the referring physician answered questions pertaining to what their intended management plan was before the imaging test was conducted. After receiving the results, the physician answered another questionnaire regarding what their intended management plan after having seen the test results. A few months later, the physician was again asked if they implemented their management plan, says Fendler.

The questionnaires showed that the imaging test results shifted clinical management decisions for about two-thirds of patients. In half of the patients, major changes to the management plan were implemented; physicians added a new type of treatment to their plan or used a different treatment modality altogether in some cases, concludes Fendler.

Wolfgang Fendler, MD, discusses the impact of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET imaging on the clinical management of patients with prostate cancer.

Dr. Fendler on the Impact of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET Imaging on Prostate Cancer Management

Wolfgang Fendler, MD, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, discusses the utility of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET in prostate cancer.

The 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET is a whole-body scan for patients with prostate cancer, explains Fendler. The imaging modality is simple to perform and has been given in the outpatient setting, adds Fendler. Patients receive an intravenous injection of a radionuclide then undergo the whole-body image for about 20 to 30 minutes.

The whole-body image shows where the prostate cancer is located in the body; as such, it can be used as an imaging or staging model at initial diagnosis or biochemical recurrence. In summation, the 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET tool provides insight into tumor location, which can be used to inform further treatment decisions, concludes Fendler.

Wolfgang Fendler, MD, discusses the utility of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET in prostate cancer.

Dr. Fendler on the Utility of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET in Prostate Cancer

Wolfgang Fendler, MD, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, discusses the clinical need for 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET in biochemically recurrent prostate cancer.

Patients with prostate cancer can take a blood tests that will show that their prostate-specific antigen is rising, which could possibly cause disease to recur. Patients are usually treated by physicians who expect the disease to be located in the pelvis but, sometimes, it is not possible to easily locate the cancer.

The 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET is among the first novel imaging test that can locate the tumor lesions in prostate cancer. It fills the clinical need and that is why it is being assessed and approached as a promising imaging test in prostate cancer, concludes Fendler.

Wolfgang Fendler, MD

Articles

Dr. Fendler on Impact of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET on Prostate Cancer Management

Dr. Fendler on Rationale for Creating the 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET in Prostate Cancer

Dr. Fendler on the Impact of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET Imaging on Prostate Cancer Management

Dr. Fendler on the Utility of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET in Prostate Cancer

Dr. Fendler on Clinical Need for 68GA-PSMA-11 PET in Prostate Cancer