Dr. Choyke on Advancements in Imaging for Prostate Cancer

Peter L. Choyke, MD, FACP, director, Molecular Imaging Program, head, Imaging Section, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, discusses advances in imaging for prostate cancer.

Investigators at the National Cancer Institute developed a method of fusing images from MRI to ultrasound images. This method allows for radiologists to do fusion biopsies of prostate cancer, and has now become an increasingly popular imaging method, Choyke says.

Another increasingly popular method is doing PET scans that target prostate-specific membrane antigens (PSMA), which occur on more aggressive prostate cancers. This is very specific, says Choyke, and a lot of things about the disease are being discovered with this technology. PET scans that target PSMA provide a changing picture of the disease, Choyke says, which provides a deeper understanding of the disease.

Investigators are also combining more traditional PET imaging such as sodium fluoride bone scans with PSMA. These new modalities and combinations will bring about a greater understanding of how to manage patients with prostate cancer, Choyke says.