Dr. Danila on the Integration of Advanced Imaging in Prostate Cancer

Daniel C. Danila, MD, medical oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the integration of advanced imaging in prostate cancer.

On May 27, 2021, the FDA approved piflufolastat F 18 (Pylarify) injection, a prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)–targeted positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agent, to identify suspected metastasis or recurrence of prostate cancer. The regulatory decision introduced the first PSMA-targeted PET imaging tool to the paradigm of prostate cancer.

Moreover, because PSMA-targeted therapy has demonstrated a survival advantage in prostate cancer, the integration of the PSMA-targeted imaging tool is clinically valuable, Danila explains.

Although the uptake of the tool has been relatively slow because of availability and insurance coverage, PSMA-targeted PET imaging can provide insight into a patient’s disease, Danila says. Moreover, this could precisely inform optimal treatment selection for individual patients, Danila concludes.